The leaders of two of the world's largest plastic makers today called for a global agreement among nations to eliminate plastic waste in the environment, urging governments and stakeholders worldwide to press for a treaty resolution at upcoming United Nations meetings.
Dow Chairman and CEO Jim Fitterling and LyondellBasell CEO Bob Patel participated in today's Wall Street Journal special event "Getting There: A Global Agreement to End Plastic Waste." They spoke on behalf of the American Chemistry Council and the International Council of Chemical Associations, which represent leading chemical and plastic makers globally.
The two told the Journal's Phillipa Leighton-Jones that plastic makers are committed and eager to increase constructive engagement with governments and other stakeholders to advance a circular economy, in which plastics are reused instead of discarded. "Simply put," said Fitterling, "Our vision is to prevent plastics from entering our environment by achieving universal access to waste collection and reusing instead of discarding plastics."
They urged support for a resolution at the UN Environment Assembly in February 2022 that would begin negotiations on a global agreement to end plastic waste in the environment. "We should not confuse the value of plastics with the issue of plastic waste," said Patel. "This is a global challenge requiring a global solution. With support from the UN, we can develop a global framework to help us solve this critical issue."
To enable their vision, plastic makers have proposed a set of five principles to eliminate plastic waste, accelerate a circular economy for plastics, and serve as the basis for a global agreement.
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All governments agree to eliminate plastic waste leakage into the environment by a specific date and develop regionally appropriate national action plans and policies that allow flexibility based on local circumstances.
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Achieve widespread access to waste collection and support deployment of technologies (including advanced recycling) to increase the circularity of plastics.
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Recognize the role plastics play in a lower carbon future by supporting life cycle analysis as a means to evaluate impacts of plastics and alternatives.
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Support innovation in product and packaging design by developing, with industry input, global guidance on design, recycled content, and resource optimization.
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Measure progress on plastic waste through globally accepted definitions and reporting metrics, using validated and harmonized methodologies.
About American Chemistry Council
ACC represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make people's lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible Care®; common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues; and health and environmental research and product testing. The business of chemistry is a $486 billion enterprise and a key element of the nation's economy. It is among the largest exporters in the nation, accounting for nine percent of all U.S. goods exports. Chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development. Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members, and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the nation's critical infrastructure.