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UN International World Environment Day was first celebrated in 1973 and has since been observed annually to raise environmental awareness. This observance has served to urge governments and global organizations to take action on both urgent and growing environmental issues. On June 5, 2023, Frontiers in Sustainability will honor 50 years of celebrating World Environment Day by creating a platform for discussions and dissemination in line with this year’s theme ‘Solution to Plastic Pollution’, addressing one of the major global challenges: #BeatPlasticPollution.
Plastic pollution is an urgent global issue, and judging by current growth trends in plastic waste, it is estimated that we will produce 1,100 million tons of plastic by 2050. Today, more than 400 million tons of plastic is produced annually worldwide, the majority of which is designed to be of single use – ending up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans. Unmanaged plastic waste will continue to pollute our waterbodies and find their way to our food, water, and air, which is detrimental to both human health and our ecosystems.
Moreover, plastics are detrimental to the environment at both ends of their life cycle. Making plastic requires raw materials, some of which are not renewable such as natural gas and oil which puts a strain on earth’s natural resources. The manufacturing of plastic also consumes a lot of non-renewable energy; in fact, most single-use plastic is manufactured using fossil fuels which contributes to global pollution. In the end of their life cycle in the break down process, plastic releases toxins and chemicals that are harmful to the environment, wildlife, and human health.
While individual choices help reduce plastic pollution, government intervention is needed to prevent plastic pollution at a larger scale. Corporations and large-scale organizations produce mass cheap plastic products, which tend to be more affordable and available compared to the more expensive alternatives. More sustainable plastic production government regulations are crucial in limiting single-use cheap plastic and ensuring the plastic manufacturing process and industry can be more sustainable and do not exhaust non-renewable resources in the long run.
It is in this spirit that Frontiers in Sustainability will launch a new article collection to coincide with this UN International day. This occasion offers an opportunity to acknowledge the need to manage plastic pollution in line with our journal mission, and SDG goal 12, but also to prioritize sustainable practices in the manufacturing process of plastic and plastic alternatives. As such, we are keen in exploring themes related to, but are by no means limited to:
- Is sustainable plastic manufacturing possible and can we improve the sustainability of plastic?;
- Can plastic be recyclable?;
- Process for byproducts from plastic;
- How beating plastic pollution improves social welfare;
- The impact of governmental policies and regulations on plastic manufacturing, recycling, and consumption;
- The socio-economic impact of government policies on reducing plastic pollution;
- Local/national policies on sustainable production and consumption on plastic;
- International policies and treaties on managing plastic pollution;
- Local and traditional practices in managing plastic pollution.
Keywords: plastic pollution, plastic manufacturing, sustainable chemical process design, world environment day, plastic recycling
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.