Business Leaders Call For Global Rules To Curb Plastic Waste

More than 20 chief executives from some of the world’s largest companies have called on governments to agree ‘global binding rules’ to address the issue of plastic pollution.

The 21 business leaders have signed an open letter organised by the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty ahead of next month’s United Nations treaty negotiations to curb plastic waste in Busan, Republic of Korea.

The letter, which has been signed by a number of chief executives, including ones from PepsiCo, Unilever and Mars Inc warns a treaty based on “voluntary measures alone risks delaying action by decades”.

“We see an ambitious treaty with binding global rules as a chance to harmonise the policy landscape, strength national legislation, and help businesses scale proven solutions for priority sectors such as packaging,” the letter states.

It also calls on the upcoming negotiations to agree on global criteria and lists, which will enable the restriction and phase out of “chemicals of concern”.

The letter also calls for global criteria to be agreed for circular product design and common definitions and key principles for extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes.

And it calls on negotiations to agree on a strong mandate for the governing body to strength the agreement over time.

John Duncan, co-chair of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, said there needs to be a “coordinated, common global approach with global rules” in an interview.

“A treaty with global rules is good for the planet,” added Duncan. “It’s good for business because it simplifies their lives and brings economies of scale into play.

“And the important message this letter conveys is that it is good for governments too. It will work for everyone.”

Duncan told me global rules will help reduce business costs in the long run, create new opportunities through reuse and boost the waste management industry.

Regarding the upcoming negotiations, Duncan said the large majority of countries are already aligned to the idea of eliminating “problematic and avoidable” plastics and “chemicals of concern”.

“Many countries and companies have already started eliminating these products,” he added.

Duncan said there also needs to be global product designs in place to ensure a standardised approach and common principles around EPR schemes.

“Companies are saying ‘we recognize our responsibility to contribute financially to solving the problem’, but governments need to make sure that there’s a level playing field and that actually everyone is implementing these schemes,” added Duncan.

The chairman and chief executive of PepsiCo, Ramon Laguarta stressed the importance effective, well-designed EPR schemes in a statement.

“We believe that well-designed EPR programs would be a meaningful step forward and encourage more infrastructure investment from all relevant stakeholders, including governments and the private sector,” said Laguarta.

“If governments can come together and align on a clear set of global principles for well-designed EPR, it could open the door for wider implementation around the world.”

Tove Andersen, the chief executive of TOMRA, a system provider for reuse, recycling and waste management, said the upcoming treaty negotiations are “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to reach a global agreement regarding plastic pollution in an interview.

“Global businesses want to contribute on this issue, and we would like global rules and regulations to help create a level playing field,” she added.