Companies back call for international treaty on plastic pollution
Clothing groups H&M and Inditex are among 70 companies that have called for a legal-biding treaty on plastic pollution.
This year, national governments will gather for the resumed session of the UN Environment Assembly, which NGO Ellen MacArthur Foundation describes as a unique opportunity to take substantial decisions on plastic pollution.
This requires governments to align on regulatory measures that cover the whole life cycle of plastics, not limiting the scope of negotiations to address waste management challenges, it added.
The Ellen MacArthur-coordinated statement urges UN Member States to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an ambitious international, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution that:
- includes both upstream and downstream policies, aiming to: keep plastics in the economy and out of the environment, reduce virgin plastic production and use, and decouple plastic production from the consumption of fossil resources
- sets a clear direction to align governments, businesses and civil society behind a common understanding of the causes of plastic pollution and a shared approach to address them; and
- provides a robust governance structure to ensure countries’ participation and compliance, with common definitions as well as harmonised standards applicable to all. This facilitates investments to scale innovations, infrastructures and skills in the countries and industries most in need of international support.
The statement added: “We are at a critical point in time to establish an ambitious UN treaty that fosters collaboration for systemic solutions and speeds up the transition to a circular economy globally. UNEA 5.2 is the decisive, most auspicious moment to turn the tide on the global plastic pollution crisis. We cannot afford to waste it.”
Andrew Morlet, CEO of Ellen MacArthur Foundation, said: “Plastic pollution doesn't stop at borders, it is a global problem that requires businesses and governments to work together on global solutions. Today marks the first time so many leading businesses have come together and called for a legally-binding, robust treaty; one that sets common rules and regulations, establishes a level playing field and creates the conditions needed to deliver coordinated global solutions. This statement sends a powerful signal to policymakers that they now have an unprecedented opportunity to turn the tide on plastic pollution.”
