American Chemical Industry Council: Plastic industry should not be restricted by punitive taxation

Recently, the American Chemical Industry Council (ACC) has issued intensive articles to express its views in response to the voice of the United States calling for a tax on plastic companies to reduce plastic pollution
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ACC said that the development and efforts of the plastics industry are indispensable, whether it is carbon reduction work related to the future climate or plastic pollution reduction work related to the environment
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ACC calls on the U.
S.
government to not restrict the plastics industry through punitive taxation, but to guide the development of the plastics industry through other means, so that it can play a key role in the field of energy conservation and carbon reduction
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Raising taxes is worse than promoting recycled materials

Recently, U.
S.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse proposed that the government should charge a 20 cents per pound excise tax on non-recycled plastics produced by all plastic manufacturers to help the United States build a circular society
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In this regard, Joshua Barca, vice president of ACC in charge of plastic affairs, said that if we want to build a circular society, it should be a more efficient way to require the plastic packaging industry to incorporate 30% recycled plastic in 10 years than to increase taxes.
A viable and market-oriented approach
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Joshua Barca believes now is not the time to increase taxes on plastics and further fuel inflation
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This is not to say that the ACC rejects the circular economy.
Instead, the ACC is calling on Congress to take 5 steps to accelerate the development of a circular economy and eliminate plastic waste
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The five measures are to develop a federal policy that requires the adoption of the National Recycled Plastics Standard to use at least 30% recycled content in all plastic packaging by 2030; create a modern regulatory system that continues to expand traditional ways of recycling plastics , able to rapidly scale innovative technologies to recycle plastics; develop national plastic recycling standards; study the impact of greenhouse gas emissions of all materials to guide existing policies; establish a U.
S.
producer responsibility system for plastic packaging (not just plastics) to increase the Recycling, collection and recycling of materials promotion
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U.
S.
government response is critical

In 2018, ACC announced a series of goals around plastic sustainability, with plans to achieve 100% recycling of plastic packaging by 2040
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ACC said the U.
S.
government’s response is critical if the aforementioned plastic recycling targets are to be met
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The ACC said the large plastics producers among its members believed the new federal government's policies were critical to developing a high-value, efficient plastic
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"Plastic should be reused over and over again, not disposed of as waste, so that a circular economy for plastics can be achieved," Baka said
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ACC believes that achieving a circular society requires a lot of meticulous work, much of which depends on the government
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For example, it is called for plastic packaging to contain 30% recycled materials
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This cannot be achieved by industry alone
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By one estimate, 30% would mean more plastic would need to be recycled each year, a supply level that the U.
S.
can’t reach right now
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The ACC said that while the goals were extremely ambitious, actual policy and real needs were still out of sync
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Taking plastic recycling as an example, at present, whether it is physical recycling or chemical recycling, the production capacity is insufficient, and the supervision is also strict, especially chemical recycling
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The ACC calls on Congress to create federal regulations similar to those already passed by 14 states to simplify the regulatory framework for chemical recycling plants
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Otherwise, enterprises will encounter difficulties in selecting the location of recycling facilities and recycling technology
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The ACC had previously called on Congress to veto the Free From Plastic Pollution Act, in part because it included a moratorium on the development of new chemical recycling facilities
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Attention should be paid to the advantages of plastic lightweight

In addition to promoting the recycling of plastic materials, ACC also said that plastics have unique advantages in lightweighting, and the plastics industry will be an important player in the United States to achieve carbon reduction
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On August 5, U.
S.
President Biden signed an executive order requiring that by 2030, electric vehicles in the United States will account for 50% and the entire auto industry chain will achieve zero emissions
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This is not only supported by automakers, but also welcomed by the chemical industry
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Barca said the move expands the space for lightweight, durable plastics
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"We look forward to strengthening our partnership with U.
S.
automakers to help build U.
S.
electric vehicle infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating more jobs,
" Barca said
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Currently, plastics play an important role in the development of electric vehicles, Baka said
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By volume, plastics account for 50% of cars
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Lightweight innovative polymers will help automakers further reduce vehicle emissions, improve fuel economy and battery range, and support U.
S.
leadership in advanced vehicle and materials manufacturing
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Battery packs for electric and hybrid vehicles will continue to reduce weight with the help of lightweight plastics including housings, closures, connectors, and more
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In addition, plastics are critical to the infrastructure of zero-emission vehicles – charging and hydrogen filling stations are made of plastics and composites that are impact and corrosion resistant, help prevent electrical leakage, provide electrical insulation safety, And able to withstand many extreme weather conditions
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It can be said that the carbon emission reduction of the automotive industry in the future will rely on plastics to achieve
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