The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is calling on governments to support a global ban and phase-out of the "highest risk and unnecessary" single-use plastic products - such as plastic tableware, e-cigarettes and microplastics in cosmetics.
A new series of reports commissioned by WWF and conducted by Eunomia identify the most damaging plastic products that pollute the environment and propose global control measures to eliminate, reduce or safely manage and recycle these plastics. WWF is advocating for the inclusion of these measures in the treaty text, which will be published before the next round of talks in December 2023.
Unintended consequences to consider eliminating
The study proposes solutions to address the most pressing plastic pollution challenges under the new global treaty by dividing plastic products into two groups - those that can be significantly reduced or eliminated in the short term (Category I) and those that cannot be significantly reduced or eliminated feasibly or significantly reduced at this time, but require global control measures to promote recycling and responsible management and disposal (Category II).
The analysis divides products into categories based on contamination risk, which WWF believes will facilitate effective regulation on a global scale, rather than legislating for individual plastic products - which is both complex and creates potential loopholes.
Recognizing the complex, interconnected and pervasive relationship that society has established with plastics, the analysis also considers any unintended environmental, health and social consequences of eliminating or replacing a particular plastic.
"We are trapped in a system where we are now producing far more plastic than any country can properly handle, leading to a plastic pollution crisis affecting the environment and society," said WWF Special Envoy Marco Lambertini. "If we don't act now, the situation will only get worse. On our current trajectory, global plastic production will double by 2040, the amount of plastic flowing into the ocean will triple, and the total amount of plastic pollution in the ocean will quadruple. We cannot allow this to happen.
Plastic pollution is a global problem that requires a global solution. Negotiators must follow the guidance in this report and work together to develop a treaty with comprehensive and specific binding global rules to reverse the trend of the plastics crisis."
Need for a coordinated approach led by globally agreed rules
While plastics are inexpensive and versatile, with countless uses in many industries, almost half of them are used to make short-lived or single-use products that can take hundreds of years to degrade - most of them in high-end and high-end consumer middle-income countries.
Studies show that by 2015, 60 percent of all plastics ever produced had reached the end of their useful life and were discarded. Globally, less than 10% of plastic products are recycled.
"Many countries are already implementing measures ranging from banning plastic products such as bags or straws and stirrers to microbeads in cosmetics or disposable food and beverages," Lambertini said. "But we know that's not enough. We need a coordinated approach led by globally agreed rules that can have an impact at scale and put every country and company on the same level of playing field.
It's 2023, and there's no valid reason to let many single-use plastic products circulate globally when we know they are causing so much damage, polluting waterways, clogging our oceans and entering our own food chain. There are so many technologies in the industry that can provide more sustainable alternatives and substitutes. We need regulation and incentives to support this shift by stimulating innovation and facilitating trade in sustainable alternatives."
Despite regulatory and voluntary measures at the national level, these efforts have proven insufficient to stop plastic from leaking into the environment in one place and eventually spreading hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away. Disposable plastics, microplastics and lost or discarded fishing equipment - known as "ghost fishing gear" - now make up the bulk of plastic pollution in the ocean.
"Many communities do not have the infrastructure to deal with the influx of plastic waste into their lives, and many governments cannot afford to pay for collection services. As a result, communities are left to dispose of their own waste, which can have a negative impact on their well-being, "
Zaynab Sadan, WWF Africa's Plastics Policy Coordinator, said. "Eliminating high-risk and unnecessary single-use plastics is the first step towards a fairer, more circular economy, but the treaty must ensure recognition and inclusion of those who may be affected by such bans, such as informal waste disposal workers.
The Paris negotiations are an unmissable opportunity to propose global measures that will finally move us away from the single-use mindset that has fueled the twin crises of nature and climate and set us on a path to protect it."
Following a good start at the first Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meeting in 2022, negotiators must now flesh out the details of the treaty text to most effectively and equitably address the issue of plastic pollution.
