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IPEN global plastics monitoring project

The aim of the IPEN global plastics monitoring project is to raise awareness locally and globally about hazardous chemicals in recycled plastics used for consumer products. The project targeted recycled plastic pellets of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) sold from small-scale, local operations, since this is one of the most commonly used material for consumer products. These have been analyzed for UV stabilizers, Decabromodiphenyl ether (deca BDE) and PCBs.

Environmental Ambassadors for Sustainable Development participated in the project as IPEN participated organization. The recycling facility EASD used as project site is situated in north-west Serbia, and there are app. 75 employees. The facility was founded 15-16 years ago. 75% of products are for the export, to the Central European Countries (Poland, Czech Republic…). Other 25% is sold to the domestic plastic producers (placed around Serbia), which use these recycled plastic pellets to produce plastic products, but not for food storage.

There are several steps performed to produce recycled plastic pellet, from yield small pieces of plastic (flakes or fragments) to the pellet that is using in next steps of production cycle.

All secondary raw material is used in the recycling process (“zero waste” at the end of the process). They use plastic breakage and waste from its production to make plastic buckets for the construction sector, black colored.

The input plastic is coming from unformal secondary raw collectors, but the large number are also imported.

The samples of plastic pellets were used from the facility and sent to IPEN to be analyzed. The samples were analyzed at the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague in the Czech Republic. More at …..

The results are shown in the study: Widespread chemical contamination of recycled plastic pellets globally.

Presentations:

Widespread chemical contamination of recycled plastic pellets globally

Global plastic pellet samplings – Results and briefing

Press Release:

Embargoed Press Release

Further promotion of results:

April 28, 2022 – Participating  at Local Round Table in Perlez, municipality Zrenjanin, presenting issues of toxic additives in plastics pellets and IPEN study, as well as  capturing synergies between plastic pollution (and with decarbonization and climate change. About 10 people from this small town participated.

Activities of awareness raising in Serbia  are posted on site in Serbian language.

EASD more focused to activities against plastic pollution

Participation at UNEP Global Major Groups and Stakeholder Forum, Global Ministerial Environment Forum and High-Level Gender Forum

Environmental Ambassadors for Sustainable Development  participated at the “Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF-14)”, and “The First Universal Session of the Governing Council/ Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC-27/GMEF),” Nairobi, 16-22 February 2013.  Ministers meeting for the first time under universal membership of 193 member states- again as a result of the decisions taken and adopted last year at Rio+20 and the UN General Assembly later in the year- adopted a welter of other decisions relating to the way UNEP will operate and work as the global platform for environmental policy-making and action over the coming years and decades.  Governments called for  the transformation of the existing Governing Council into a UN  Environment Assembly of UNEP and to build stronger links between UNEP’s science-based Global Environment Outlook process and its ministerial meetings – further implementing the call  by member states at Rio + 20to strengthen the science-policy interface. 

Among the wealth of other decisions taken at the first Universal Membership of the UNEP Governing Council were: 1.  A UNEP-led consortium will host and coordinate the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) which will be the implementing arm of the Technology Mechanism of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 2. The CTCN will work on leap-frogging the technical and financial hurdles to the even greater take-up of clean and renewable energies to low carbon tranportation and energy efficient buildings, 3. Full operationalization of a decade-long initiative to decouple economic growth from unsustainable use of natural resources and pollution generation-the 10 Year Framework of Programmes for Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10YFP for SCP), 4. The UNEP-hosted initiative will assist countries in areas from sustainable public procurement, lifestyles and education to sustainable buildings and construction and sustainable tourism, including ecotourism – again bringing from outcome to implementation other key aspects of the Rio+20 Future We Want, 5. Governments also decided to convene in October this year an intergovernmental diplomatic conference to formally adopt the Minamata Convention on Mercury that was agreed  in January in Geneva under a UNEP-facilitated negotiation-again a further implementation of the Rio+20 outcome document.

Over 1300 participants from 147 countries, including 80 ministers, representatives of UN agencies, international organizations, academia, NGOs, business and industry, and women and youth organizations attended the first Universal Session of the GC following the decision of the United Nations General Assembly to strengthen and upgrade UNEP, as called for in the Rio+20 outcome document. Delegates adopted 13 decisions, on inter alia:

–       the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES);

–       coordination across the UN system, including the Environment Management Group (EMG);

–       oceans;

–       sustainable consumption and production;

–       the green economy in the context of sustainable development;

–       advancing justice, governance and law;

–       state of the environment; and

–       chemicals and wastes.

The GC adopted a decision on institutional arrangements that, inter alia, invites the UN General Assembly to rename UNEP’s governing body “UN Environment Assembly,” and provides that the body “will ensure” the active participation of all relevant stakeholders and explore new mechanisms to promote transparency and effective engagement of civil society in its work and that of its subsidiary bodiesinter alia, by: developing by 2014 a process for stakeholder accreditation and participation that builds on the existing rules of procedure and takes into account the inclusive modalities of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and other relevant UN bodies.

The day before the Governing Council got underway, the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders for the Environment (NWMLE) and UNEP hosted the second High-Level Gender Forum. Prof Andjelka Mihajlov participates, by invitation to “Gender Forum” as a member of the “Network of Environmental Women Ministers and Leaders”, as the former Minister for Protection of Natural Resources and Environment.  The forum participants called upon ministers and environmental leaders to have dedicated officials for coordination of related gender and environment programmes and agreed to send a consolidated proposal on gender actions to be forwarded for consideration by UN Secretary General’s High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post 2015 Development Agenda. The women ministers also requested nations to support the ratification of the Minamata convention on Mercury, which opens for signing in October.

More about meetings at  www.unep.org .  Moments from EASD participation are in Galleries of pictures. These activities are foreseen as the important international cooperation activities.

Prior to this, organisation participate at Rio+20 Conference.