One year after the National Agreement for the New Plastic Economy, the Mexican industry informs the Senate of Mexico and the general population of the progress of actions to reduce, recycle and reuse containers and packaging for a wide variety of products, with the aim to contribute to national goals for the use of plastics .
Mexico is fourth in the world in PET recycling, only behind Sweden, Germany and the European Union, and the industries that signed the agreement indicate in their report that 71% of containers and packaging are already reusable, recyclable, compostable or usable. The goal is to achieve 100% of this indicator in the medium term .
In the first year of this agreement, 74 companies from the chemical, plastic, food, beverage, personal care, household items and self-service stores sectors participated.
The report highlights that 45% of the companies that participated in it have or are affiliated with a post-consumer management plan , mainly for materials polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), high and low density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE), expanded polystyrene (EPS), aluminum and cardboard. While 68% include recycled material in their containers and packaging.
Currently, the main actions carried out to implement a circular economy of plastic in our country are reduction and recycling ; While the actions to eliminate unnecessary plastics include: the reduction or direct elimination of the material, with 24% of the total; redesign and recycling, with 23%; substitution by other materials, with 18%; recyclable, 13%; reuse, 8%; biodegradable and compostable, 11% and other options, 3%
At present, the plastic industry contributes 2.8% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and this material represents 13% of the total urban solid waste. However, recovery actions have allowed, for example, that 56% of PET is recycled in our country, which places it in fourth place in the world in this area , only below Sweden, Germany and the European Union.
“Along with the actions of the companies, the participation of society and the government in the fulfillment of the goals of this National Agreement is fundamental, to continue advancing as before, in the measures that will allow us to leave a sustainable legacy to the next generations “, highlights José Ramón Ardavín Ituarte, Executive Director of CESPEDES, in the statement in which they share the results of the first year of the National Agreement for the New Plastic Economy.
