Plastic pollution treaty plea for G7
TV PRESENTERS Chris Packham and Liz Bonnin have joined forces with businesses and campaigners to urge G7 leaders to put plastic pollution on the agenda when they meet next month.
In an open letter, more than 30 business leaders, environmental campaigners, peers and MPs called on the UK Government to include a global treaty on plastics for discussion at the G7 summit of leading economies in Cornwall in June.
They warn that 300 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced every year, while less than 10% of all plastic has ever been recycled and it has been found in our water, food and the air people breathe.
The letter warns the pandemic has sent the world “deeper into this crisis”, highlighting that one billion items of personal protective equipment (PPE) were handed out on just two months in the UK alone.
“Globally three million face masks are thrown away every minute – amounting to 129
billion every month – mostly disposable, mostly plastic,” the letter led by campaign group A Plastic Planet said.
It also said more than 70 governments including the UK had expressed support for a treaty to tackle the problem and warned the plastic crisis would never be overcome “without a globally consistent response”.
Signatories to the letter include senior figures at Nestle UK and Ireland, Aldi, Iceland Foods and the Cooperative Group, and leaders of campaign groups including Surfers Against Sewage, the Ocean Foundation and Fidra.
Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, said: “One man’s trash is another man’s problem. Only a globally aligned and binding strategy will stop the forecasted increase in plastic production and the inevitable pollution. With governments around the world keen to join forces to stop this toxic material from polluting our children’s future, now is the time to step up the pace. We need to accelerate real action.
“The members involved in the G7 summit have shown they can drive powerful change, as seen with the Paris Climate Agreement, and they can do the same
for plastic pollution.”