InvestNow News – 16th Jan 20 – Devon – Monthly Report December 2019
Investing for a Circular Economy
In July 2019, the New Zealand Government banned the use of single-use plastic shopping bags, with the intention of reducing the amount of plastic in our environment. The introduction of this policy puts New Zealand amongst the club of 120+ countries with some form of regulation on plastic bags. Globally, at least eight million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year – this contributes almost 80% of all marine debris, with 3% of this plastic waste being made up of microplastics (pieces that are smaller than our fingernails). These plastic wastes can harm the marine life in our oceans and just as significantly, make its way up the food chain and end up on our dinner plates. Joining the coalition of countries globally to have regulation on single-use plastic bag appears to be the right thing to do.
But when it comes to climate change and overall environmental impact, plastic bag alternatives such as paper and cotton bags are actually much worse for the planet…