WWF: Calls for global ban on single-use plastics
The World Wide Fund for Nature (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 microplastics in plastic tableware, e-cigarettes and cosmetics.
A new series of reports from Eunomia, commissioned by WWF, identifies the most damaging plastic products polluting the environment and proposes global control measures to eliminate, reduce or safely manage and recycle these plastics. WWF has advocated for these measures to be included in the treaty text, which will be published before the next round of talks in December 2023.
“We are trapped in a system where we are now producing far more plastic than any country can properly deal with, leading to a plastic pollution crisis that impacts 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 flow of plastic 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 global solutions. Negotiators must follow the guidance in this report and work together to develop a treaty with comprehensive and concrete binding global rules to turn the tide on the plastics crisis. "
While plastic is cheap and versatile, with countless uses in many industries, almost half of all plastic is used to make short-lived or single-use products that can take hundreds of years to degrade — much of it at the high end and high-end consumer middle-income countries.
Research shows that by 2015, 60% of all plastic ever produced had reached the end of its life and was thrown away. Globally, less than 10% of plastic products are recycled.
"Many countries are already implementing measures ranging from bans on bags or plastic items like straws and stirrers, to microbeads in cosmetics or single-use food and drinks," Lambertini said. "But we know that's not enough. We need a coordinated approach led by globally agreed rules that can make a difference at scale, putting every country and company on the same level of the playing field.
