Some 170 countries are engaged in tense negotiations on how to reduce plastic pollution as the United Nations kicks off a week of talks in Paris, with an influx of industry lobbying.
Negotiators have agreed to a first draft of a treaty to reduce plastic pollution, but remain divided on whether the rules will be legally binding and would limit petrochemical companies’ production of new plastic materials.
130 countries, including Mexico, Canada, New Zealand and much of Europe, want binding rules. But fossil fuel producers such as the US, Russia and China want a less ambitious voluntary system in which countries are free to create their own frameworks.
Limiting new output would be a blow to the petrochemicals industry, which is increasingly reliant on rising demand for plastics from emerging economies as the world moves away from fossil fuels.
A coalition of businesses backing the tougher approach includes some of the world’s largest consumer groups, including Unilever, Nestle and PepsiCo, as well as retailers and packaging makers. During the talks, they advocated for standardized rules to address the entire life cycle of plastics, including reducing production, reusing and recycling, and phasing out harmful chemicals.
Jodie Roussell, Nestlé’s senior public affairs manager for packaging and sustainability, said legally binding agreements and harmonized rules were crucial. “Businesses recognize that the ambitious goals and aspirations of ending plastic pollution in a treaty have little value in themselves,” she said on Saturday.
Anke Boykin, senior director of global environmental policy at PepsiCo, said a binding treaty was needed to provide “regulatory predictability”
But Emma Priestland, of Break Free From Plastic, said: “We know businesses need uniform rules and that’s the best case scenario for them, but we don’t see them changing their business models much at the moment.”
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, Mondelez and Unilever are the companies that generate the most plastic pollution, according to the nonprofit Freedom From Plastic.
Industry representatives lobby hard at Paris talks © REUTERS
The American Chemistry Council (ACC), an industry body representing the petrochemical industry, advocates for solutions that do not require production reductions, such as waste management and recycling.
The ACC called for technological solutions such as chemical recycling and highlighted the need for continued use of plastic materials in aerospace, transportation and medical applications.
“We’ve heard a lot of talk this week about limiting production, but we’ve also heard a lot of talk from governments about the role of plastics in meeting societal goals,” said Stew Harris, senior director of global plastics policy at the ACC.
Activists warn that lobbying by the petrochemical industry could lead to the treaty being watered down.
“The main risk is that the treaty becomes a waste management treaty,” said Graham Forbes of Greenpeace USA.
Negotiations on the substance of the treaty began only on the third day of the Paris meeting after Saudi Arabia, Russia and China opposed its adoption by majority rather than consensus. Consensus means countries can veto its adoption.
The first draft of the treaty is due in November, and countries will have until the end of next year to finalize the terms.
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