A treaty to control plastics use is under way

Unbeknownst to me, moves are afoot to ban plastic. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration maybe, but the United Nations (more specifically, the United Nations Environment Programme) is pursuing a new treaty to control the production and use of plastics, and, this month in Paris, the world's governments agreed, at least in principle, to work towards a draft that could cut plastics production by a massive 80% by 2040.

This is a big deal and really necessary. Plastics production is currently at 430 million tons a year, and is expected to nealy double again by 2050. The environmental and health problems of unabated plastic use are well-known, from the accumulation of plastics in the oceans and landfills, to its huge greenhouse gas emissions profile (which is easy to forget), to the discovery of microplastics in major human organs, to the many potentially harmful chemicals that plastic contains.

Three more UNEP "plastic summits" are scheduled before the end of next year, so the urgency of the matter is clear. A treaty on plastics could put it on a par with the Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting substances as a landmark success in environmental diplomacy.

There are several factors which make such a treaty a distinct possibility, from the huge public concern and political pressure, to the fact that no new technology is required: proven practices like eliminating unnecessary single-use plastic implements and packaging, mandating reuse, and replacing plastic with more sustainable biodegradable materials, could achieve 80% of the needed reductions according to UNEP. Government taxation and the removal of industry subsidies could achieve most of the rest. There is political will from many influential industrial countries (the so-called High Ambition Coalition), and even strong business support (the 100-strong Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty includes the likes of Unilever and Coca-Cola). In a word, it is doable.

That said, it is not going to be easy. A powerful plastic-producing lobby including China, India and the USA, is opposed to the idea, and the still-powerful fossil fuel companies want to INCREASE their production of plastic to offset what they are losing due to the swing towards clean energy sources. Among the points of contention: binding, rather than voluntary, rules; a limit or ban on plastic production, rather than just the focus on recycling that many manufacturers want; whether a treaty should be triggered by a vote or by consensus (which many opposed countries want, on the grounds that complete consensus is unlikely); and, of course, who is to pay for the necessary changes, and how.

So, the hurdles are prodigious, but so are they at the start of all such initiatives. What's important is that a start has been made.