Plastic Bags Reduction Project starts A Community Dialogue with Producers
In the framework of the SwitchMed Demonstration Project on Plastic Bags Reduction, a series of 8 consultations with different stakeholders on “Challenges of Shifting to Plastic Bags Alternatives” started to take place throughout the coming few weeks. At this point of the Project, community dialogue is essential to formulate a realistic, precise, solid and sustainable strategy. It started by the Consultation with plastic bags producers on 4th of May, 2017, which was co-organized by CEDARE and the Ministry of Environment under the umbrella of the UN Environment. The session was attended by the Head of Plastics Chamber at the Federation of Egyptian Industry, Plastic Technology Center of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, GIZ, and the project team from the Ministry of Environment and CEDARE.
Not only is the project concerned with consumers, civil society, or policy makers, but it also perceives every single segment related to plastic bags and petrochemicals industry or feeding industry as top priority. Producers comprise key plastic bags manufacturers, raw material local manufacturers and raw material importers.
The objectives of the session were to consult plastic bags and raw material manufacturers and importers on their views about the Project on Reduction of Plastic Bags Consumption and identify any possible negative economic and social consequences. It was also aimed to get their initial intention to be involved in biodegradable bags manufacturing and other alternative.
In the course of the session, technical issues, economic as taxation and cost analysis as well as social perspectives were thoroughly discussed. Lessons learnt from other countries’ practices in this endeavor have been highlighted.
Among the challenges, current investment of packaging plastics in Egypt is about 100 billion EGP, as per the head of Plastics Chamber-FEI; thus how would this sector be affected by the decision to reduce the single-use plastic bags production. Again, there would be a strong lobby against this move by the informal sector which constitutes a majority (more than 50% out of 3,200 factory/workshop in total).
The Project identified biodegradable plastic bags as one of the proposed alternatives, which requires no change in the technology or production line, nor modifications in equipment. It is simply a change in the formula by supplementing an additive to the mix. The session highlighted the need to design incentives for plastic producers to create drive to join this call, and to create market demand for biodegradable plastic bags and re-usable non-woven bags. It is also important to execute new regulations on single-use plastic bag on the medium term. Meanwhile, short-term awareness campaigns could be a starting point for this initiative until gradually a transformation towards biodegradable and multi-use bags is made.
