Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, H: Environment & Earth Science, Volume 23 Issue 1

b) The chemical phase starts with the breaking down of hydrocarbons to feed stocks needed to produce polymers and chemicals of production of plastics c) The material phase starts with blending polymers and additives into primary plastics (pellets) and then manufacturing into final products d) The dematerialization phase starts at the products’ end-of-life, when the plastics are either recycled (18 %), incinerated (24 %) or discarded into the environment (58 %). Upcycling processes are better aligned with the Circular Economy model, which defends that the plastic waste is a valuable resource with the potential to be recirculated in a new material cycle, as shown in Figure 1 below: Figure 1: Plastic Waste Being Recycled If focus lies in the downstream production of plastics, greenhouse gas emissions will still be significantly released. For greater carbon savings, upstream actions are urgently required to tackle the problem at its root. Examples of such actions are designing out waste, to avoid its generation and to reuse products. Also, recycling replaces raw materials at a much lower carbon cost and thus reduction in the emissions across the economy is achieved. To ensure the highest number of cycles, products, components and material should be kept at their highest utility and value (Weigend et al., 2020). However, this is not the case in the recycling business since upcycling processes are more complicated, and energy/resource- intensive. Consequently, the environmental benefits of plastic upcycling are often put into question and down cycling methods are instead approved because of their lower complexity and costs, irrespective of the permanent and loss of quality. The EU Action plan for the Circular Economy (COM/2015/614) has come up with the Strategy on ‘Plastics in the Circular Economy’. The following circular economy tools can be adopted to retain plastic and its worth in the economy and out of the ocean: Holistic Approach to Tackle (Micro) Plastic Pollution: The Case of Mauritius 1 Year 2023 23 © 2023 Global Journals Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXIII Issue ersion I VI ( H ) • Extended Producer Responsibility: Use EPR to avoid certain types of marine litter, most notably single- use packaging items. • Research into product design to facilitate reuse, repair, remanufacture and recycling, and complement this by providing more information on the plastic composition of products. • Bans for unnecessary and damaging products or activities where viable substitutes exist - e.g. plastic microbeads in cosmetics can be replaced by ground nut shells, marble particles or naturally- grown polymers, and plastic blasting in shipyards can be replaced by ultra-high pressure water jets. • Improved legislation: Provide clear definitions of polymers, waste and secondary raw materials. Manufacturers need to design their products and packaging to fit into existing recycling systems. • Economic incentives targeting consumption: Make greater use of economic incentives to make market signals part of the solution - i.e. ensure that plastic has a price and is therefore more widely recognised as a valuable resource – e.g. apply deposit-refunds to bottles, and charges/taxes to plastic bags, disposable cutlery, and other one-use items. • Transparency and labelling: Improve transparency on the chemicals contained in plastics – to help with decisions on remanufacture and recycling. In addition, transparency on where personal care and cosmetic products do and/or do not contain plastics. Explore the implications for additives such as flame retardants, plasticisers, pigments, fillers, and stabilisers. • Waste management measures: Invest in waste collection infrastructure and services (at ports), waste management infrastructure and wastewater treatment facilities to avoid dispersion of litter into the marine environment - particularly in coastal areas or near rivers. • Awareness-raising: Raise awareness among consumers to improve waste disposal (littering and waste separation), and also better inform purchasing habits to increase demand for sustainable substitutes - e.g. cosmetic products not