Global plastics treaty is urgently needed
G7 leaders can take first step toward binding solutions to a pervasive problem, David R. Boyd says.
Canada, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, deserves credit for prioritizing plastic pollution in the lead-up to the G7 summit. It is likely that the leaders’ declaration will embrace a long-term vision for zero plastic waste. However, a leaders’ statement is only a first step. The G7 meeting offers Canada a platform to demonstrate genuine leadership by boldly advocating for a new global plastics treaty. Without a comprehensive and enforceable international law, air, water, wildlife and people will continue to be polluted by plastic.
Despite all of the recent attention to plastic in the oceans, the problem is actually much more pervasive. Plastic is everywhere, from the tops of mountains to urban parks and from deserts to farmer’s fields. Plastic is killing not only marine wildlife like turtles and whales but also freshwater fish, birds and camels. There is no bright line separating humans from other species. Microscopic plastic particles have been detected in drinking water ( both tap and bottled), food, beer, wine and even in the air we breathe.
The ubiquitous nature of plastic waste should not surprise us. Plastic use has exploded since the Second World War. The numbers are so gargantuan that they almost defy comprehension. Estimates of current production globally are over 300 billion kilograms annually, or about 40 kilograms per person. Consider just two items, plastic bottles and bags. Roughly 1.4 billion plastic bottles are sold every day, or a million every minute. Annual plastic bag use exceeds one trillion. All of these statistics grow larger every year.
Only a small portion of plastic, roughly 10 per cent, is collected and recycled. The remaining 90 per cent is buried, burned or littered.
Scientists are scrambling to understand plastic’s impact: Do microplastics penetrate lung tissue when inhaled? Do they accumulate in the digestive systems of wildlife or humans? Does consuming microplastics affect behaviour or reproduction? Do microplastics act as a delivery system for toxic substances that adhere to the surface of the plastics and then build up in the food chain? We don’t know all of the answers. But what we know is sufficient to sound the alarm. This is a global problem that urgently demands a global solution.
Plastics can be useful. Eliminating its use is unrealistic. However, eliminating plastic waste and pollution is both possible and vital.
Numerous international initiatives have attempted to tackle the problem, including the UN global plan of action, the Honolulu Strategy and the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter. As plastic pollution worsens, it is obvious that these largely voluntary efforts are insufficient. Achieving the goal of eliminating plastic waste demands strong and consistent rules across the world. An effective global treaty would establish targets and timelines for recycling and recycled content, ban particularly problematic products (such as polystyrene foam or toxic additives), spur innovative solutions, place the economic burden on producers of plastics and provide a platform for financial, regulatory and technical assistance to developing countries.
One solution to plastic pollution is a policy called extended producer responsibility, which combines the power of regulations with the ingenuity of businesses, requiring plastics producers to develop reverse supply chains to collect, sort, and recycle their products. This turns waste into resources, spurs ecologically conscious product design and makes recycling economically viable.
Driving the development of a global plastics treaty would build on Canada’s proud tradition of international leadership. It could emulate the precedent set by the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer, widely applauded as the world’s most effective environmental agreement.
The ultimate goals of a global plastics treaty include healthy people, healthy ecosystems and a circular economy where everything gets reused or recycled.
A future with zero plastic waste will require bold leadership, not only from politicians, but also CEOs, scientists and citizens.
David R. Boyd is an associate professor of law, policy, and sustainability at the University of British Columbia.