Swiss Case Study

Compare the Swiss approach to Plastics with that of the UK

Below is an email that covers the recent report on plastic issues in Switzerland.

In a recent BFFP zoom meeting we discussed the merits of working together on this as there are a lot of similarities with what is happening in the UK. To start with it would be useful to:

1. Summarise the report

2. Compare with what is happening in the UK.

3. Suggest what lessons could be learned.

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Dear all,

Kindly be informed that this week, we have launched a comprehensive Report on the Swiss Plastic System, entitled: “Plastic Matters: A state of affairs, facts, legislation & recommended actions in Switzerland”.

Report Summary:

Through an in-depth examination of the main plastic problems in Switzerland and the legal dispositions under which these can be tackled, this report intends to stir up and accelerate the Swiss debate on plastic, urging the country to take care of its plastic crisis. Concrete measures are proposed, calling for comprehensive policy action at the federal level.

Key Findings:

· Every Swiss resident on averages uses 127kg of plastic per year – making this a very high per-capita plastic consumption per year, compared to other European countries. [Report, sect. 1.1]

· Every Swiss resident on average produces 95 kg of plastic waste per year. [Report, sect. 1.1]

· The current Swiss plastic system is linear and end-of-pipe. [Report, sect. 1.2]

- Plastic waste is essentially taken care of through incineration. About 90% of Swiss plastic waste is incinerated. This may well be economically sound, ecologically, it is not: incineration continues to have many detrimental environmental- and health effects.

- Recycling and reuse in Switzerland are limited. Except for PET-bottles, plastics are not meaningfully recycled in Switzerland, let alone reused.

- Thus, the way plastics are dealt with in Switzerland is obviously not circular.

· Switzerland puts a lot of effort and money in cleaning its public space, but a litter problem does exist. As shown by the Swiss Litter Report in 2018, the “litter density measured in Switzerland is in the range of comparable international studies”. [Report, sect. 1.3.1]

· In Switzerland, an estimated 287.5 million disposable hot beverage cups are used per year, of which about 112.9-123.3 million as take-away. This results in about 2,800 tonnes of waste annually. To this adds an unknown amount of other take-away items such as cups for cold drinks, plates, boxes, or cutlery. [Report, sect. 1.3.1]

· An estimated amount of 20 million cigarette butts is lying around daily on Swiss streets and roads. From there, they leak away and accumulate into the further environment. [Report, sect. 1.3.2]

· Around 13,540 tonnes of tyre wear per year are produced on Swiss roads. 8,900 tonnes thereof end up in the Swiss environment every year. [Report, sect. 1.4.1]

· For Switzerland, an estimated 73 tonnes of microplastics from personal care and cosmetic products (PCCP) are released into wastewater annually, of which around 2.6 tonnes ultimately end up in the environment. [Report, sect. 1.4.3.1]

· Tens of millions of disposable plastic bags are still used annually in Switzerland. [Report, sect. 5.1.1.2]

Recommendations:

· As Swiss plastic consumption is comparatively very high, certainly, in Switzerland, plastic consumption must decrease considerably. [Report, sect. 1.6]

· Switzerland should strongly reorientate its incineration-focussed waste strategy. [Report, sect. 1.6]

· We knew about the many problems caused by our continuously increasing overconsumption of plastic for a long time. We did not but recently become aware. This is even more reason why we should now finally decrease its use. [Report, sect. 4.1, 4.2]

· The plastic problem does not stand on its own. [Report, sect. 4.3]

- It connects to many other socio-environmental problems we brought upon ourselves and the planet, such as climate change or biodiversity loss.

- They have in common that they are all caused by a continuous overproduction and overconsumption by a society – in Switzerland, in the Global North and increasingly worldwide – obsessed by always having more, obsessed by economic growth and financial gain at any cost, and at the expense of everything else.

- To solve the plastic problem (and the other, interconnected socio-environmental problems), we cannot escape this inconvenient truth: in the end, only a systematic change in how (much) and what we consume will make a lasting difference.

· Solving the plastic problem is not just about technical solutions and better management. Plastics are intrinsically linked to an inherently unsustainable way of life. To structurally solve the problems, this way of life will have to change. [Report, sect. 4.3]

Launch of Petition:

We call on the Swiss federal government to stop shifting away their responsibility, but apply the instruments already in place within the Environmental Protection Act. Under this law, the Federal Council can ban the single-use plastic items, such as take-away items and plastic bags from the Swiss territory, independent of the material used, and can stop the sale of cosmetic and personal products containing microbeads in Switzerland.

· Please sign & share our petition: Every signature counts – also from outside Switzerland: https://www.oceancare.org/en/take-action/petitions/plastic-petition/

Additional resources: