Nations divided on how to reduce plastic pollution after week of UN talks

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Nearly 170 countries have been locked in tense negotiations over how to reduce plastic pollution after a week of UN talks in Paris beset by an industry lobbying frenzy.

Negotiators have agreed to develop a first draft of a treaty to reduce plastic pollution, but there are still differences on issues such as whether the rules will be legally binding and whether they should limit petrochemical companies’ production of new plastic materials. do.

A group of 130 countries, including Mexico, Canada, New Zealand and most of Europe, want binding rules. But fossil fuel-producing countries such as the US, Russia and China want a less ambitious, voluntary system in which countries are free to set their own frameworks.

Stopping new production would be a blow to the petrochemical industry, which is increasingly dependent on growing demand for plastics in emerging economies as the world moves away from fossil fuels.

A coalition of businesses has backed the tough approach, including some of the world’s biggest consumer groups such as Unilever, Nestlé and PepsiCo, as well as retailers and packaging manufacturers. In the talk, he campaigned for standardized regulations to address the full lifecycle of plastics, including reducing production, reusing and recycling, and phasing out harmful chemicals.

Jody Russell, senior public affairs manager for packaging and sustainability at Nestlé, said a legally binding agreement with coherent regulations was vital. “Businesses recognize that the ambitious targets and aspirations to end plastic pollution in the treaty have little value in themselves,” he said on Saturday.

A binding treaty was needed to provide “regulatory predictability,” said Anke Boykin, senior director of global environmental policy at PepsiCo.

But Emma Priestland of Break Free From Plastics said: “We understand businesses need harmonized regulations and this is the best situation for them, but we don’t see them changing their business models too much.”

According to the non-profit organization Break Free From Plastic, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Mondelez and Unilever are the top plastic polluting companies.

Industry representatives lobbied fiercely for the Paris talks © REUTERS

The American Chemistry Council (ACC), an industry body representing the petrochemical sector, argues for solutions that would not require waste management and reduced production, such as recycling.

ACC called for technological solutions such as chemical recycling and stressed the need for sustainable use of plastic materials in aerospace, transportation and medical applications.

Steve Harris, ACC’s senior director of global plastics policy, said: “We’ve heard a lot of talk this week about limiting production, but we’ve also heard a lot from governments about the role plastics can play in achieving society’s goals. Heard everything.”

Campaigners warned that lobbying by the petrochemical industry could undermine the treaty.

Graham Forbes of Greenpeace USA said: “The wider risk is that this treaty becomes a waste management treaty.”

Negotiations on the substance of the treaty began only on the third day of the Paris session, when Saudi Arabia, Russia and China objected to the treaty by a majority vote rather than a consensus. Consensus would mean that countries could veto its adoption.

A first draft of the treaty is to be prepared by November, and countries will have until the end of next year to hammer out final terms.

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