Whether it's a carrier bag being blown across the street by a gust of wind or a single-use bottle washing up on a shore 10,000 kilometers from where its contents were drunk, plastic pollution occurs everywhere.
It is a huge problem that extends to all parts of the world. 40% of the plastic produced worldwide is packaging, and a significant portion of it is used only once and then discarded, contributing to the growing plastic pollution crisis.
As clear and evident as this problem is in our daily lives, it is not too late to turn the tide on what has become one of the world's most pressing environmental problems.
It's not too late to turn the tide on what has become one of the world's most pressing environmental problems.
To create the significant and urgent change needed, we need a legally binding treaty, backed by harmonized regulations, that can address the entire life cycle of plastic products. Anything below this means we will continue down a path of 'business as usual' that is not working for people or the planet.
Delegates from across Europe and the world will gather in Ottawa, Canada, from April 23 to 29, 2024, for the latest round of negotiations towards a global plastics treaty. They have a truly rare opportunity to lead the fight to end plastic pollution with an ambitious global treaty.
These representatives are convening for INC-4, the penultimate round that offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve the quality of life for the planet and for generations to come. .
There's no time to waste. Ambition is essential if we are to succeed in eliminating plastic pollution. We must not settle for a treaty that falls short of achieving this goal.
Business needs global rules
In September 2022, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) joined forces to convene the Business Alliance for the Global Plastics Convention, inviting more than 200 companies, financial institutions, and NGO partners to join forces to end plastics. gave voice to calls for an ambitious treaty. waste and pollution.
The coalition is pushing for an ambitious UN treaty to bring plastics into the circular economy and stop them from becoming waste and pollution.
The coalition is pushing for an ambitious UN treaty to bring plastics into the circular economy and stop them from becoming waste and pollution.
Companies are calling for a treaty to tackle plastic pollution by reducing the amount of plastic they use. By recycling all the plastic that cannot be removed. and by preventing and remediating remaining plastic pollution.
Coalition supporters and members acknowledge the fact that business requires global rules.
They recognize that there is a rare opportunity here. Global agreements can benefit businesses by harmonizing policy efforts, strengthening investment planning, stimulating innovation, and coordinating infrastructure development.
The Coalition is calling for common global rules on restrictions and phase-outs to be included in treaty negotiations. Reuse policies. Product design requirements. Expanded producer responsibility and waste management.
With limited time left for negotiations, there is also a need to agree on a 'start and strengthen' approach to prioritize short-lived plastic uses such as packaging, which generate around 40% of the world's total plastic waste. be. You can then build on this over time and work on additional priority areas.
Changes are possible
The Global Commitment, the world's largest voluntary initiative to tackle plastic pollution and waste, shows that progress is possible on this pressing environmental problem, but more binding measures are needed to contain the crisis. Certain measures are necessary.
Signatories of the Global Commitment, representing 20 percent of the world's plastic packaging industry, significantly outpace their peers in implementing initiatives to reduce the use of virgin plastic and make packaging reusable or recyclable.
Over the past five years, efforts by signatories to more than double their use of recycled plastics have resulted in the equivalent of a barrel of oil being left in the ground every two seconds and 2.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. was avoided.
It's time to act boldly
Many companies and countries are taking important steps to tackle plastic pollution, but voluntary agreements alone will not reach the scale needed to urgently solve this crisis.
Expanding the solutions available to tackle plastic pollution globally and drawing on lessons learned from existing efforts to form globally binding rules that can create transparency and a level playing field for the industry. It is important to take this into account.
Companies believe these are the key factors most likely to bring about change as quickly as possible.
Now we must act faster and on a larger scale.
There's still a lot to do and we can't waste time.
With less than a year to realize this opportunity and a sufficiently ambitious framework to address the global crisis yet to be completed, now is the time to act decisively.
Carsten Wachholz and John Duncan are co-leaders. Economic Union Secretariat for the Global Plastics Treaty.
