The fifth and final round of INC negotiations for the United Nations Global Plastics Treaty is scheduled for November 25, 2024 in Busan, South Korea. The White House administration has decided to change its position in favor of limiting virgin plastics production.
On August 19, the Plastics Industry Association (PIA) issued a statement strongly opposing the White House's change in position on the plastics production cap.
Matt Seeholm, president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association, said, “The White House's misguided reversal in favor of restricting plastics production is not only unrealistic, but it is directly harmful to all U.S. manufacturers and won't bring us any closer to achieving our shared environmental goals.”
“The plastics industry is the seventh largest manufacturing industry in the United States, employing one million people. With this decision, the White House has turned its back on Americans who depend on our industry for their livelihoods, as well as manufacturers in all industries that rely on plastic materials.”
“Plastics offer unrivaled safety, protection and efficiency, and can be reused and recycled, reducing our overall resource needs. An independent study confirms that plastics have lower total greenhouse gas emissions than alternative materials. However, the White House's decision ignores these facts in favor of the misinformation spread by anti-plastic activists.”
“In addition, this reversal weakens the influence of the U.S. negotiators in the U.N. negotiations because other countries know that this extreme position will not find support in the U.S. Senate.”
“We are committed to keeping plastic waste out of the environment and believe we need to work together to accomplish this goal. However, the dramatic shift in the White House's position will not accomplish this goal and will only set us back.”
