Plastics

89% of participants test positive for microplastics; links to clotting and inflammation identified

Negotiators working on a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution for a week in South Korea won't reach an agreement and plan to resume the talks next year. They are at an impasse over whether the treaty should reduce the total plastic on Earth and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics. The negotiations in Busan, South Korea, were supposed to be the fifth and final round to produce the first legally binding treaty on plastics pollution, including in the oceans, by the end of 2024. But with time running out early Monday, negotiators agreed to resume the talks next year. They don't yet have firm plans. More than 100 countries want the treaty to limit production as well as tackle cleanup and recycling, and many have said that is essential to address chemicals of concern. But for some plastic-producing and oil and gas countries, that crosses a red line. For any proposal to make it into the treaty, every nation must agree to it. So

India on Sunday said it did not support any measures to regulate the production of primary plastic polymers as it could impact the development rights of nations. This statement came as a global meeting in South Korea's Busan to finalise a legally binding treaty to combat plastic pollution ended without an agreement. At the closing plenary of the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, tasked with drafting the treaty, India said some suggestions from countries, including its own, were not reflected in the draft text. It sought assurances from the chair that countries would have the opportunity to include their views in future discussions. India's lead negotiator, Naresh Pal Gangwar, said the treaty's scope should focus solely on addressing plastic pollution and avoid overlaps with other international agreements or bodies. He requested that this clarity be reinstated in the draft text. "India would like to state its inability to support any measures to regulat

Tiny plastic pieces have spread all over the planet: on land, in the air and even in clouds

India should come out with a national bio-plastics policy with fiscal incentives like capital subsidy as well as government support for research & development, according to a report. The report titled Incentivising Bioplastics, a Biopolymer' by EY and ASSOCHAM outlines a strategic vision for transforming India's bio-plastics industry through targeted government interventions and regulatory changes along with educational campaigns and leveraging India's agricultural strengths to enhance sustainability and environmental performance. To establish India as a premier hub for production of bio-plastics, the report calls for comprehensive National Bio-Plastics Policy in India. It suggested fiscal incentives like capital subsidies of up to 50 per cent on eligible capital investments over five years to encourage the development of bioplastics manufacturing and infrastructure. The report also called for regulatory framework mandating use of bio-plastics, implementing QCOs (quality control ..

Efforts to standardise production processes to ease recycling will have more of an impact on the environment

A test carried out on 10 types of salt and five types of sugar, purchased from online and local markets in India, showed the presence of microplastics in all samples

The UK's Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has initiated a transition anti-subsidy review of a countervailing measure on imports of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics from India, to assess whether the nearly 13 per cent duties should continue to be applied. TRA, an independent arm's length body of the government's Department for Business and Trade, will consider whether the importation of the subsidised goods subject to review would be likely to continue or recur if the countervailing amount were no longer applied to those goods. It will also consider whether injury to the UK industry in the relevant goods would be likely to continue or recur if the countervailing amount were no longer applied to those goods. Countervailing measures are the UK's one of three trade policy tools to counter imports which are "causing or threatening injury" to domestic industry, the other two being anti-dumping and safeguard measures. Countervailing, or counteracting, measures address imported good

The second Modi government had the right intentions in dealing with environmental degradation and climate change but there wasn't enough focus on implementation, top environmentalist Sunita Narain has said. In an interaction with PTI editors here, Narain said successive administrations have diluted the environmental clearance system to the extent it no longer works. "Overall, my assessment is that the government had the right words and the right intentions. If you look at the government's policies, you can't argue that anything was per se wrong. Renewable energy, drinking water, waste management... all were on the table. So you put the whole package together, it's all there. My assessment is that there wasn't enough focus on implementation," Narain said. In its second term, the Modi government focused on several initiatives, including scaling up renewable energy, improving forest cover, combating desertification, reducing air pollution, conserving wetlands, providing potable piped .

In the KIE consumer staples universe, Dabur reported the highest packaging cost at 12.5 per cent of its standalone revenues in FY23

Demand for piano keys, billiard balls, and combs was going up in Europe even while getting hold of elephant tusks and tortoise shells was becoming more difficult as their population dwindled

A report this month alleged that oil and chemicals companies "perpetuated a decades-long campaign of fraud and deception about the recyclability of plastics

The Welspun Group on Friday announced a plan to invest over Rs 500 crore in plastics business in Jammu and Kashmir, a top official said. Speaking to PTI, the group's chairman B K Goenka said it will invest over Rs 40,000 crore for multiple projects including the new bets of green hydrogen and green ammonia. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the investment in J&K was signed in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on the sidelines of the tenth Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit here. "We've signed an MoU to invest Rs 500 crore plus in our plastic activities, under the brand name of Sintex, whether it is water tanks, pipes and everything else in the next 2-3 years," Goenka said. The investments in Gujarat will be focused on Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia and expansion of plastic and textile divisions. "It's a new bet on new energy, but I think it's the future. I think there is big potential," he added. When asked if the group will be going for an equity raising given th

Plastics exports from the country declined 14.6 per cent to USD 956 million in July mainly due to decreasing demand in key export markets like the US and Europe, apex industry body Plastics Export Promotion Council (Plexconcil) said on Monday. The overall exports during July 2022 stood at USD 1.119 billion, Plexconcil said in a statement. Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBC), plastic raw materials, packaging items, plastic films and sheets, and plastic writing instruments and stationery witnessed a major decline in exports. Meanwhile, cumulative plastics exports during the April-July period also dropped 14.9 per cent to USD 3.741 billion as against the year-ago period. "We are happy to see that consumer and houseware products, floor coverings, leather cloth, laminates, medical items of plastic... are doing really well. The Indian plastics industry is undergoing a phenomenal transformation and is experiencing accelerated growth in recent years," Plexconcil Executive Director

According to the All India Plastics Manufacturers' Association, the market size of plastics in India was Rs 3.5 lakh crore

India's top oil and gas producer ONGC is planning to set up two oil-to-chemical plants in India to convert crude oil directly into high-value chemical products as it prepares for energy transition that is shaking up the industry worldwide, chairman Arun Kumar Singh said. Crude oil, which companies like ONGC pump out from below seabed and from underground reservoirs, is a primary source of energy. It is processed in oil refineries to produce petrol, diesel and jet fuel. With the world looking to transition away from fossil fuel, companies around the globe are looking at new avenues to use crude oil. Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from crude oil and are used in the manufacturing of detergents, fibres (polyester, nylon, acrylic etc.), polythene and other man-made plastics. "The demand for petrochemicals is expected to remain strong and will continue to be a key driver of oil and gas demand in the future," Singh said in the firm's latest annual report. "With this objective

Most bags for potato chips and other crispy snacks are made with three layers of polymer materials. Polymers are made from petroleum, and they'll never decompose

Adani Transmission Ltd has been recognised as a 'single-use plastic-free' company by the Confederation of Indian Industry-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development. The company has been certified for its successful voluntary implementation of single-use plastic-free measures within its 37 operational locations spread across 10 states of the country. This certificate is valid from February 22, 2023 to February 21, 2024, according to a company statement. "Adani Transmission Ltd (ATL) has been recognised as 'Single-use Plastic Free'," it said. A total of 37 ATL operational sites, i.e., 30 substations and 7 transmission line clusters, including stores, have been certified as "Single-use Plastic Free", it added. With this certification in its kitty, ATL has become the first Indian electrical utility to earn "Zero Waste to Landfill certification", "Water Positive certification," and "Single-use Plastic Free Company" added to its laurels, the statement said.

The peer-reviewed study is the first to calculate the total mass of microplastics in a city's air, and it suggests researchers may be dramatically undercounting the global airborne microplastics count

Plastics industry groups have called for a focus on recycling