避免塑料大流行:COVID-19后世界中可持续发展的未来.docx
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1、Table of ContentsIntroduction1Plastic before COVID-19 5Plastic and the Pandemic8What is Plastic? 11Recycling13The Sustainable Future of Plastic15Conclusions and Recommendations19References22Avoiding a Plastic Pandemic: The Future of Sustainability in a Post COVID-19 World tons of plastic waste by re
2、designing its products, while at the same time decreasing water use by 8.7% and greenhouse gas emissions by 8.6%. Amcor (2019), Sustainability Review 2019 s:/ LyyNHtldFY/93a8af747a3b66089efbbedl 18f42af7/Sustainability_Review_Vl l_AW_Digital.pdf, accessed July 16,2020.Avoiding a Plastic Pandemic: Th
3、e Future of Sustainability in a Post COVID-19 World tons of plastic waste by redesigning its products, while at the same time decreasing water use by 8.7% and greenhouse gas emissions by 8.6%. Amcor (2019), Sustainability Review 2019 s:/ LyyNHtldFY/93a8af747a3b66089efbbedl 18f42af7/Sustainability_Re
4、view_Vl l_AW_Digital.pdf, accessed July 16,2020.It is important to notice that this increased focus on plastic composition was not only limited to smarter designs to improve recyclability, but also to the development of bio-based alternatives to traditional plastic, as discussed in more detail later
5、 in this paper.Although progress was not uniform or particularly fast-paced, the environmental crisis associated with plastic production, use and disposal had finally captured the attention of the public, governments, and businesses around the world. The search for sustainable solutions which could
6、be scaled up had begun, together with the recognition that addressing the symptoms of this crisis through simple clean-ups was not enough, but that a systemic shift tackling the root causes of this environmental and sustainability crisis was required.However, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly
7、disrupted not only our lives but also how the world sees plastic. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and other plastic products have become key in preventing the spread of the virus, thus increasing demand and making the need to address the sustainable future of plastic even more pressing.Plastic a
8、nd the PandemicAs COVID-19 spread across the globe, nations found themselves underprepared and ill-equipped to weather the pandemic. Healthcare workers rely on PPEs such as face masks, gloves, gowns, goggles, and face shields to protect themselves and their patients from being infected and infect- i
9、ng others. PPEs shortages caused by skyrocketing demand, panic buying, hoarding and misuse left frontline workers dangerously under protected to fight the pandemicputting lives at risk.At the height of the first COVID-19 wave, one single hospital in New York city had to increase its orders for face
10、masks from 20,000 to 300,000 per week.24 At a global level, the World Health Organization estimates that 89 million surgical masks, 76 million examination gloves, and 1.6 million goggles will be required to respond to the COVID19 crisis each month; and that to meet this demand, manufacturing capacit
11、y will need to increase by 40%.25But why is this relevant to the plastic industry? Because PPEs are mainly made of plastic. Surgical and N95 masks are made of polypropylene or polystyrene,26 medical gloves of latex or polyvinyl chloride,27 goggles of polycarbonate,28 protective gowns of polyester or
12、 polyester-cotton blends.29 And the list continues-hand sanitizers and disinfecting products contain plastic and/or are sold inside plastic packaging.As businesses cautiously try to reopen, plastic screens to maintain social distance guidelines and single-use plastic containers for food and beverage
13、s24Clifford, T. (2020), Hospital supplier Owens & Minor is expanding capacity to meet personal protectiveequipment demands CNBC s:/ cnbc /2020/03/27/hospital-supplier-owens-minor-expand- ing-capacity-to-meet-ppe-demands.html, accessed August 16,2020.25 WHO (2020) uShortage of personal protective equ
14、ipment endangering health workers worldwide1 s: who.int/news/item/03-03-2020-shortage-of-personal-protective-equipment-endangering-health- workers-worldwide, accessed Sept. 28, 2020.26 Henneberry, B. (2020), How Surgical Masks are Made Thomas Publishing Company s:/ thomas- net /articles/other/how-su
15、rgical-masks-are-made/, accessed August 18, 2020.27 Paxton, V. (2010), “Medical GlovesTypes and Uses AllegroMedical s:blog.ollegromedicol / medical-glove-types-latex-vinyl-and-nitrile-exam-and-surgical-gloves-buyers-guide-1534.html, accessed August 18, 2020.28 Edwards, E. (2020) uHow are Goggles Mod
16、e?” Thomas Publishing Company s:/ thomasnet / articles/plant-facility-equipment/how-are-goggles-made/, accessed August 18,202029Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), Optimizing Supply of PPE and Other EquipmentDuring Shortages1 s:/ cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/isolation
17、-gowns.htmL accessed August 18,2020.have become a must. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages the service industry to use disposable menus, plates and utensils, together with single-serving condiment containers. Howard, J Liptak, K. and Valencia, N. (2
18、020), “CDCs draft guidance for reopening amid coronavirus includes spaced-out seating in schools, disposable menus in restaurants CNN h甘ps: cnn. com/2020/04/30/health/coronavirus-usa-cdc-reopening-bn-wellness/index.html, accessed August 18, 2020. Some states and municipalities have gone even further
19、, either by postponing the enactment of bans on single-use plastic products or temporarily lifting those that were already in place and instead, banning businesses from allowing customers to bring their own reusable bags or mugs. Peszko, G. (2020), “Plastics: The Coronavirus could reset the Clock Wo
20、rld Bank, s:blogs.worldbank. org/voices/plastics-coronavirus-could-reset-clock, accessed August 18,2020. Although these measures are meant to protect our health and safety, they are also bolstering an already dangerous reliance on single-use plastic.At the same time, due to the lockdowns-coupled wit
21、h decreased demand-fossil fuels prices have plummeted, making virgin plastic a much more profitable alternative to using recycled plastic. Chasan, E. (2020), “The Oil Crash Created a Recycled Plastic Trap Bloomberg s:/ bloomberg. com/news/articles/2020-05-06/oil-crash-means-single-use-plastic-is-bac
22、k-as-recycling-struggles, accessed August 2b 2020. And while the former has always been the less expensive option, it is now even more enticing to producers, hindering the transition to more sustainable business models.Furthermore, even before the pandemic low recycling levels made it difficult for
23、companies to source the materials needed for sustainability initiatives. According to the Consumer Brand Association, in 2019 there was only enough recycled plastic in the US to meet 6% of demand. Consumer Brand Association (2020), s:consumerbrandsassociation.org/sustainability/recycling-poli- cy-pl
24、atform/z accessed August 18, 2020. Companies are thus faced with the challenging choice of either maintaining their sustainability plans or adding to the industrys environmental challenge by choosing the more profitable option. Citing the pandemic as the reason, companies like Danone and Coca-Cola h
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