The International Knowledge Hub Against Plastic Pollution (IKHAPP) is set to see its soft launch online on December 2 at 2:00 PM (GMT).
A plastic pollution problem
The need for concerted international action on plastic pollution has gained increasing urgency over recent years. Yet, the informal recycling sector received rather limited attention in this process. Estimates suggest that 58% of all recyclable plastic waste globally is collected and handled informally. Despite its significance, knowledge gaps exist on the informal sector’s scale, collection capacity, network structures, as well as on the socio-economic aspects of its workers. A holistic understanding of the informal recycling sector and its characteristics across national and international contexts is crucial for the development of an international agreement on plastic pollution.
An international knowledge hub
To curb the aforementioned problems, the International Knowledge Hub Against Plastic Pollution (IKHAPP) was established. IKHAPP is an open platform that will give a cohesive authoritative voice to researchers and experts working for solutions to plastic pollution. Our community will highlight the work of individuals and groups to be showcased on the IKHAPP web pages. IKHAPP will be also working to bring this knowledge to stakeholders (especially governments and authorities in developing countries as well as in the developed world). The IKHAPP website will be open at the domain IKHAPP.org on 2 December. During the event scientists or research organizations that are interested in joining the IKHAPP community or anyone interested in receiving IKHAPP highlights, stories and publications will be able to subscribe through the site.
The launch event
The IKHAPP launch (December 2nd at 2:00 PM (GMT)) will be opening a webinar entitled “Important but ignored? The role of the informal sector in a future international agreement on plastic pollution” – registration here. Please see the agenda attached for more information – including planned sessions and confirmed list of panelists.
A keynote paper on the potential role of the informal waste management sector in developing countries as a stronghold against plastic pollution is available at: https://www.cell.com/one-earth/pdf/S2590-3322(20)30005-1.pdf
IKHAPP
IKHAPP is an independent organization of scientists and experts. It has a strong ethical commitment towards providing the society with knowledge-based proposals for solutions, while maintaining a position free from conflicts of interest. You can follow them on Twitter (@IKHAPP_ ) or visit their homepage at IKHAPP.org.