Welcome to Higginson Strategy’s weekly round-up of international news relating to plastic pollution.
This week, a new report from thinktank Circle Economy shows global recycling rates have fallen for the eighth year running. The US Virgin Islands have filed a lawsuit against Pepsi and Coca-Cola for their role in the territory’s “dire” plastic pollution. China has announced anti-dumping duties on plastic from the US, EU, Japan and Taiwan. Scientists at the University of Reading have warned bees face new threats from microplastics. Finally, the UK Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee has announced a new inquiry into plastic waste.
Global recycling rates have fallen for eighth year running, report finds
A new report from thinktank Circle Economy has found the proportion of recycled materials re-entering supply chains falling for the eighth year running. This is due to global recycling rates are failing to keep pace with a culture focused on infinite economic growth and consumerism according to the report.
Read more here.
Pepsi, Coca-Cola to blame for plastic waste crisis in US Virgin Islands, lawsuit alleges
The U.S. Virgin Islands government is suing PepsiCo and Coca-Cola over the companies’ alleged roles in the territory’s “dire” plastic waste problem. The lawsuit claims the companies have deceived consumers by advertising their single-use plastic bottles as an “environmentally responsible choice,” according to a filing in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.
China puts anti-dumping duties on plastics from US, EU, Japan and Taiwan
China has announced anti-dumping duties as high as 74.9 percent on imports of POM copolymers, a type of engineering plastic, from the United States, the European Union, Japan and Taiwan. The Chinese commerce ministry’s findings conclude a probe launched in May 2024, shortly after the U.S. sharply increased tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, computer chips and other imports.
Read more here.
Bees face new threats from microplastics, scientists warn
War zones, microplastics and street lights are among the emerging threats to the bee population, according to scientists. Bee experts have drawn up a list of the 12 most pressing threats to the pollinator over the next decade, published in a report, Emerging Threats and Opportunities for Conservation of Global Pollinators, by the University of Reading.
Read more here.
New UK EFRA Committee inquiry targets plastic waste
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee has announced a new inquiry into the progress the UK is making into its transition to a circular economy. The long-term investigation will review the government’s progress in implementing sustainable waste management policies to meet its Environment Improvement Plan, with an initial focus on the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations.
Read more here.