The United States and France have issued a joint statement in support of launching negotiations at the upcoming U.N. Environment Assembly (UNEA) on a global agreement to address the full life cycle of plastics and promote a circular economy. The UNEA meeting begins Feb. 28 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The statement comes as world leaders met on France’s Atlantic Coast Friday for the One Ocean Summit to discuss protecting the planet’s oceans from threats like overfishing, finding fairer ways to manage the seas as well as plastic pollution.
The countries say they recognize “the transboundary aspect of plastic pollution and the importance of curbing it at its source” and say any agreement should include binding and nonbinding commitments, call on countries to develop and implement ambitious national action plans and foster robust engagement of stakeholders to contribute toward the agreement’s objectives while complementing national government contributions.
In response to the announcement, Greenpeace USA’s Ocean Campaign Director John Hocevar says, “Today’s announcement is welcome news and comes as a result of the millions of voices from around the world calling for an end to plastic pollution in all its forms. Recognizing the transboundary nature of the crisis and that plastic is sourced from fossil fuels is critical to creating a treaty that holistically addresses the plastic pollution crisis.”
Greenpeace USA also is joining the Break Free From Plastic movement allies in urging President Joe Biden to support what it calls a “bold and binding treaty” that addresses the entire lifecycle of plastics. According to Greenpeace USA, the U.S. is one of the world’s biggest plastic polluters and a major exporter of plastics to the global south, and the organization says it is “encouraging” to see turnaround after being one of a handful of countries actively opposing a treaty under the Trump administration.
The Break Free From Plastic initiative is a global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution, and since its launch in 2016, more than 11,000 supporters from across the world have joined.
“Binding commitments are needed in order to ensure government and corporate accountability,” Hocevar says. “We will be looking to the United States to set an example for other governments to follow at UNEA in securing a strong and binding global treaty on plastics to secure a livable climate and the health of our communities and our environment.”
Regarding the joint statement from France and U.S., American Chemistry Council Vice President of Plastics Joshua Baca says, "America’s plastic makers fully support a resolution at the upcoming [UNEA] to begin negotiations on a legally binding global agreement to curb plastic waste in the environment. We believe such an agreement will accelerate progress towards a circular economy most effectively through binding and nonbinding commitments.
"The joint statement issued by the United States and France indicates there is significant alignment between what plastic makers and the U.S. and France hope to see come out of the UNEA negotiations. In September, America’s plastic makers released 5 Principles to eliminate plastic waste. The plastics industry is accelerating progress towards circularity through innovation in product design, use of recycled plastics, and technology deployment. A global agreement will help scale solutions by improving the foundation of the circular economy: universal access to waste collection."
He adds, "Most importantly, plastic waste should never end up in our environment. Plastic makers look forward to working collaboratively with UNEA stakeholders and governments to support the development and implementation of ambitious national plans to eliminate plastic waste while maintaining the benefits of plastics to society."
*This article was updated Feb. 15 to include the comments from the American Chemistry Council.