Indian Chemical News (ICN), the most credible online media platform for Chemicals, Petrochemicals, and Energy sector, is organizing a virtual session on “Plastic Recycling and Circular Economy” on July 22, 2022 in the second edition of ‘NextGen Chemicals & Petrochemicals Summit 2022’.

The two-day virtual Summit is organised on July 21-22, 2022 and the main theme is "Driving Sustainable Growth." One can register as a delegate for the virtual session by clicking on the link (https://nextgensummit2022.dreamcast.in/signup )

The speakers for the virtual session are: Dr. P. S. G. Krishnan, Principal Director - TSS & BD, Central Institute of Petrochemicals Enginnering & Technology; Dr. Sameer Joshi, Hon’ble Treasurer, Indian Plastic Institute; Captain Satyendra Vaidya, Expert, Plastic Waste Management and Sahil Ghai of The Shakti Plastic Industries. The session is moderated by Pravin Prashant, Editor, Indian Chemical News. 

Plastics is virtually omnipresent and its use is required in every other industrial sector in some forms. Yet it’s highly polluting nature makes its highly imperative that its ‘Circularity’ potential is exploited to the optimum in order to reduce its environmental footprint.

Data shows that the plastic consumption has increased a staggering twenty-fold in the last 50 years, 40 per cent of which is used for packaging alone. In about next 30 years the amount of plastics used in packaging today will grow four-fold to 318 million tons every year. 

If its advantages, like strength and durability or its flexibility, have made it indispensable to us, it’s disconcerting social and environmental costs – emission of greenhouse gas, toxic leakages and maybe thousands of millions of tons of plastic floating in our oceans, and such outcomes are some awful concerns. Moreover, its production too it’s heavily fossil fuel reliant which only adds to its environment footprint.

“Circularity or developing an eco-system of effective Circular Economy around plastic waste materials can go a long way in addressing these concerns. With most of the plastic waste ending up in our oceans and landfills and becoming part of the food chain and leaking poisonous toxics into our lands, water and environment, creating a circular economy will not only ensure that we benefit from its unique qualities without its environmental footprint,” Prashant said.

Developing circularity around plastic waste will be a vital cog towards achieving our environment targets and Sustainable Development Goals. And everyone has a role to play, from and ordinary individual to government and companies and others are all stakeholders, he added.

The key discussion points for the session are: -  Challenges in plastic recycling, New innovations in plastic recycling, Increasing product range in recycled products and Plastic recycling and sustainability.