Big brands call for global pact to cut plastic production

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Big brands like Coca Cola and PepsiCo are calling for a global pact to cut plastic production.

More than 70 companies signed a joint statement calling for a new UN treaty based on "a circular economy approach to address plastic pollution on a global scale."

The statement was released ahead of the United Nations Environment Assembly conference at the end of February

where world officials will start negotiations on a treaty to tackle a plastic waste crisis that is: choking landfills, clogging oceans and killing wildlife

A Reuters investigation in 2021 found that less than 10% of all the plastic ever made has been recycled.

Meanwhile, production of plastic is projected to double within 20 years.

And so without constraints on production, recycling efforts won’t be enough to stop plastic pollution from continuing to skyrocket.

That's according to a landmark 2020 study by Pew Charitable Trusts.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) WINNIE LAU, SENIOR MANAGER AT PEW AND CO-AUTHOR OF THE STUDY, SAYING:

"Plastic pollution is something that affects everyone. It isn't a 'your problem and not my problem'. It's not one country's problem, it's everyone's problem because all people, all communities, all governments around the world recognize that it's a problem impacting communities."

It remains unclear whether any UN deal will focus on waste management and recycling or take tougher steps such as curbing new plastic production….

The move would likely face resistance from big oil and chemical firms and major plastic-producing countries like the United States.

Production of plastic, which is derived from oil and gas, is a key source of future revenue for energy majors, as demand for fossil fuels wanes with the rise of renewable energy and electric vehicles.

The more than 70 signatories to the joint statement included consumer goods companies like Unilever and Nestle, which sell a myriad of products in single-use plastic from shampoo to chocolate bars, as well as retailer Walmart and French bank BNP Paribas.