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THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT ASSEMBLY ADOPTED A RESOLUTION THAT WILL INITIATE A PROCESS TO NEGOTIATE A LEGALLY BINDING GLOBAL

AGREEMENT TO END PLASTICS POLLUTION.

Plastics recycling centers processing raw materials for transformation.

“The timing of this work is particularly important given the international treaties being negotiated,” Oyanedel-Craver adds. “This will likely impact businesses directly, and our work can add to this type of international conversation.” While Oyanedel-Craver and the COLAB team are still in the process of applying for funding to support future projects, she says she is excited by the growing momentum of conversations related to circular economies for plastics. “That’s the vision,” she says. “That one day this will be standard, and all companies will be tracking their materials and impact.”

plastics from the 1950s is very different from today, and it’s possible that we’ll have to deal with banned substances in some materials. So, if we’re collecting large amounts of plastic from the ocean, not all of that can be used in the same way.” According to Oyanedel-Craver, this is why it’s so important to have COLAB team members like Seray Ergene, assistant professor of management in the URI College of Business, who can help connect future research findings to real companies who are interested in changing their practices.

“That’s what makes our goals unique,” she says. “We want to combine life cycle assessment with risk assessment to channel plastics into the recycling and manufacturing processes most appropriate for that material.” In March of 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a resolution that will initiate a process to negotiate a legally binding global agreement to end plastics pollution, to be finalized by 2024. This resolution specifically highlights the need to address the full lifecycle of plastics.

Life cycle assessment is a methodology for assessing environmental impacts though the whole life cycle of a product or service guided by international standards.

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