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Making plastic industry sustainable is corporate self-interest
Plastics are essential for Asia, but for Ian Bremmer the way the industry works right now is incompatible with the region's targets to fight climate change. Very soon, though, he predicts there will be "immense gravitational pull" to do things differently. Once the way Asian companies use plastics now becomes outdated, he says, it's only a matter of time before they change out of their own self-interest. Bremmer spoke during the second of a two-part Sustainability Leaders Summit livestream conversation sponsored by Suntory.
"We just don't have time to mess around" on plastics pollution
Plastic pollution has caused a lot of damage to the environment — including a staggering loss of biodiversity that will soon affect humans. For Climate Bonds Initiative CEO Sean Kidney, the critical way to reverse this trend is to switch all production to biodegradable right now. "It's got to be everything, and we've got to do it fast. We just don't have time to mess around. There's been a lot of talk, a lot of talk for 10 years, not enough action. Whew. Time to change."
Some Asian countries leading on recycling plastics
Asia produces half of the world's plastic and consumes more than 40 percent of it — yet doesn't recycle as much as other regions. But things are getting better. Eurasia Group climate & sustainability expert Colleen King shares examples from Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia — all of which show that Asia can do a lot more on sustainable plastics without the consumer pressure that's driving change in the West. King spoke during the second of a two-part Sustainability Leaders Summit livestream conversation sponsored by Suntory.
Focus on applying existing tech to recycle plastics — Suntory CEO Tak Niinami
Single-use plastics have become a big pollution problem in Asia — which technology can help solve. Suntory CEO Tak Niinami hopes that not only new but also existing tech that hasn't been applied yet can really be a game-changer on plastics recycling in Asia, where there's no one-size-fits-all solution for all countries. Niinami spoke during the second of a two-part Sustainability Leaders Summit livestream conversation sponsored by Suntory.
To save the oceans, refuse & raise awareness about single-use plastics, says Hannah Testa
We always hear about the "three Rs" — reduce, reuse, and recycle — of sustainable waste management. But when it comes to single-use plastics, climate activist Hannah Testa likes to add two more: refuse and raise awareness. What's more, she says it's crucial to connect the problem with climate by showing the damage that single-use plastic waste is doing to the oceans, the world's biggest carbon sink and whose health is a good temperature check on the entire planet.
Testa spoke during the second of a two-part Sustainability Leaders Summit livestream conversation sponsored by Suntory.