No.87 Launch of “Plastic Smart” Forum

Recently, interest in plastic waste has been rapidly increasing. Marine pollution caused by plastic is a global problem and is listed as one of the 17 goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SDGs are international goals for 2016 to 2030 listed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted at the United Nations Summit in September 2015. The 14th goal includes the item ``Conserve and sustainably use oceans and marine resources for sustainable development,'' and the first target is ``By 2025... It is recognized as an urgent issue internationally as it aims to "prevent and significantly reduce all kinds of marine pollution."
Under these circumstances, the "Plastic Smart" forum was established to strengthen a nationwide campaign to promote "a smart way to deal with plastic" in order to reduce marine plastic waste, and on January 23, 2019, An inauguration ceremony was held at the Ministry of the Environment.
As a representative of the government among the participating organizations, I attended the event along with Governor Kuroiwa of Kanagawa Prefecture and Deputy Mayor Yanagisawa of Karuizawa Town, and sent out a message of support. Participants on the day included Minister of the Environment Harada, Aeon Co., Ltd., NPO Genki Net for Creating a Sustainable Society, Marine Plastic Problem Response Council, Coca-Cola Japan Co., Ltd., and McDonald's Holdings Japan Co., Ltd. It was a company/organization with a high level of environmental awareness.
With Japan hosting the G20 Summit in June this year for the first time, Japan's leadership in the international community is increasingly needed. The national government has formulated a "Plastic Resource Circulation Strategy" and will systematically implement measures, so we local governments will also work with businesses and consumers to resolve issues across Japan. .
Currently, 9 million tons of plastic is discarded annually in Japan, but most of it is recycled or properly disposed of. However, it is also true that some of it (researchers estimate between 2 and 60,000 tons) ends up in rivers and coasts due to littering and improper disposal.
The city is working to raise awareness about proper collection and transportation and emission control, while also conducting citizen beautification campaigns and cleaning of the Misawa and Tama rivers in collaboration with citizens and businesses.
The plastic waste problem cannot be solved simply by creating or strengthening new systems. It is also important that local governments, governments, companies, citizens, and consumers work together to change their mindset.
We hope that everyone will participate from a perspective that they can take steps closer to home, such as banning littering.
We hope that the "Plastic Smart" forum will disseminate Japan's efforts to the world and serve as a foundation for Japan to take on the challenge of being an international frontrunner in solving the ocean plastic problem.