Cape Town - Plastic consumption demand in Africa is set to increase by 375% from 2015 to 2060, fuelled by predicted GDP and population increases, according to a new report released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on Friday.
If this business-as-usual approach to plastic consumption continues unabated then Africa would follow Asia in becoming the next regional plastic pollution hotspot.
Plastic pollution impacts on human health, contributes towards greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss and compromises ecosystem functioning in all land and seascapes in Africa, said WWF.
Illegal trade of plastic goods and waste is also prevalent across African countries due to weak border control and enforcement of existing trade policies.
The WWF report titled: Plastic Pollution in Africa: Policy Gaps and Opportunities, which has been published ahead of a key meeting in Kenya, Nairobi, when the fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2) conference takes place from February 28.
Among the items on the agenda is the adoption of a resolution which, if passed, will give the mandate to start negotiations on a global legally binding treaty on plastic pollution.
WWF's latest report notes that plastic pollution is not confined to any one country or continent, as plastic waste moves via atmospheric currents, trans-boundary waterways and ocean currents.
The report not only contextualises the plastic pollution challenge for Africa, but also focuses on the role of policy and legal frameworks in addressing them.
The report highlights that at present, there is no global agreement in place to comprehensively tackle plastic pollution across the full plastics life cycle.
Existing agreements and initiatives aimed at addressing plastic pollution on national, subregional, regional and global levels, are mostly fragmented and weak, says WWF.
The WWF encourages African governments to actively participate and provide African perspectives and priorities in the negotiations towards a new global legally binding treaty for addressing plastics pollution.
In September 2021, at the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), African Ministers for the Environment called for the establishment of an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to prepare and negotiate a global legally binding agreement to combat marine litter and plastic pollution at UNEA 5.2.
This is significant as it presents a united African position on the way forward for addressing plastic pollution. African environment ministers continue regional consultations in the lead up to UNEA5.2, said the WWF.
In November 2021, WWF co-convened a virtual regional workshop with the African Union Commission to bring about a common regional understanding and alignment of Africa’s perspectives on the key elements of a treaty.
In January 2022, more than 70 leading businesses and financial institutions announced their support for a legally binding UN treaty in a pre-UNEA statement.
In February 2022, more than 180 scientists and more than 30 research institutions warned political leaders that a global plastics treaty must be based on hard scientific evidence if it is to meaningfully tackle the planetary crisis in the scientists’ declaration.
Also in February 2022, the Cabinet of South Africa aligned with the African position in support of mandating the Executive Director of UNEP to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) under UNEA to negotiate an internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
In Africa, high volumes of plastic materials pollute cities, waterways, the coastal and the marine environment and affect wildlife, biodiversity, livelihoods and economies. African leadership has the power to enable the change that is needed to address the challenges presented by the global plastic crisis. Cooperation across Africa is needed in forging a strong fight for a plastic-free future. This treaty is an opportunity for our leadership to truly demonstrate the commitments they have made to addressing plastic pollution on the continent, and to show that they are truly on the side of the people, said Alice Ruhweza, Africa regional director, WWF.
Here are five plastic statistics in Africa
Total global plastic production in 2020 was over 400 million tonnes.
Africa generated a total of 19 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2015, of which 17 million tonnes were mismanaged.
Africa is home to 16% of the world’s population, produces 5% and consumes 4% of global plastic volumes (according to 2015 data).
Plastic consumption in Africa in 2015 was 16kg per person, compared to the global average of 45 kg per person and 136 kg per person in Western Europe.
Most plastics are produced in China (28%), North America (19%) and Western Europe (19%). The same countries are the leading consumers of plastics, with China accounting for 20%, North America for 21% and Western Europe for 18%.
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