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Unlocking Value
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This chapter argues that plastic should be viewed as a resource to be reused continuously, rather than waste, within a circular economy. It reviews how plastic materials flow differently across continents due to varying infrastructure and policy, noting that Africa faces pollution challenges but also has potential to develop new reuse systems. It concludes that a combined global and locally tailored approach is needed to change how plastic is used.
The purpose of this chapter is to reframe the global plastics paradigm by arguing that plastics should not be considered waste, but rather an instrument of a circular economy. Plastics are presented from a systemic perspective in which they are designed to be circulated continuously and for maximum efficiency. The linear take-make-dispose model is deconstructed and viewed from a systemic perspective. A continent-by-continent assessment of plastic material flows is provided in the analysis, highlighting stark differences in infrastructure, economics, and policy. When the African continent is focused, its unique position becomes evident: while it faces severe challenges due to plastic pollution and inadequate waste management, it also has enormous potential to develop innovative, context-appropriate circular models and leapfrog traditional linear systems. In the chapter, the author concludes that the plastic economy needs to be transformed, and its environmental footprint mitigated using a holistic, global integration yet locally tailored systems approach.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.