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A New Era Of Plastics: Circular Economy At The Forefront | |
| Sumita Pawar |
The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Plastics Conference has highlighted the need for a more circular plastics economy in the GCC countries.
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Speakers at the conference agreed that the region must create global closed-loop supply chains and material marketplaces, invest in recycling infrastructure, and focus on customer-driven sustainability initiatives.
The development of a circular economy will require significant effort, collaboration, infrastructure investment, and advanced technology adoption.
Policies and advanced technologies will also be needed to set the framework for successful circular business models.
Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA, commented, "The GCC region is currently among the least affected regions by plastic pollution in the world, with low levels of municipal plastic waste volume. Nevertheless, the region is home to significant hydrocarbon reserves and is a major producer and exporter of petrochemicals that are used to produce plastic. As such, the GCC countries have a responsibility to take action to address the negative implications of plastic waste and pollution, both domestically and globally.
The conference also hosted the CIRCUL-A-THON challenge, which aims to find solutions for the future of circularity in industrial design for real-life products that can be easily reused and recycled.