Circular Plastics Economy in an International Perspective

The need for a transformation of the plastics value chain from the current linear use to a circular economy has been intensively discussed in recent years and has hardly been questioned by representatives of the plastics industry itself. This requires the adoption of measures not only at the national level but also at the global level: Today’s plastics system is characterized by globalized value chains and export structures and, at the same time, by a frequent lack of standards and a lack of transparency regarding the actual fate of plastic waste. Against this background of the need for more effective global regulatory approaches, this chapter first aims to highlight the complexity of global value chains: The way in which plastic waste in particular is dealt with at the end of its use phase differs massively between the countries of this world—accordingly, differentiated approaches are needed, for example, with regard to the regulation of plastic waste exports. Based on selected case studies (Vietnam and Great Britain), the process of developing a global plastics agreement, which began in 2022, will then be analyzed: What opportunities but of course also what risks are associated with this from the perspective of a country like Germany? The final section takes a look at the resulting challenges for an evaluation of a global plastics circular economy.