Today (March 2, 2022), the United Nations has initiated a Global Plastic Pollution Treaty that is heralded to be the most significant green deal since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. The UN assembly of more than 170 nations backed the historic resolution to initiate a binding agreement by 2024.
The basis of the global resolution aims to combat the plastic pollution crisis by “shifting away from single-use plastics, as well as to mobilizing private finance and removing barriers to investments in research and in a new circular economy,” says Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.
“It is an insurance policy for this generation and future ones, so they may live with plastic and not be doomed by it,” added Andersen.
However, the 2024 implementation deadline does not grant governments or companies a two-year hiatus to develop responsible plastic management practices. We must initiate collective action today to tackle our worldwide plastic waste crisis.
Franz Perrez, Switzerland’s ambassador for the environment, hinted at the importance of appealing to a collective global audience to overcome “the concerns of those who are not yet ready to make these ambitious steps that we would like to make together.”
Echoing Anderson’s notion, “this is a historic moment,” and while we still have a long road ahead, a legally binding commitment will change the way the world consumes and lay the foundation for a world with much less plastic waste.
Without immediate action, plastic production is expected to double in capacity by 2040 from its current $522.6 billion industry. However, shifting to a circular economy is expected to reduce the volume of plastic entering the oceans by 80% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25%.
At Ampliphi, we believe the solutions for a world without plastic waste already exist — they are simply waiting to be implemented and scaled. We exist to do just that, connect brands with the tools and knowledge they need to fundamentally drive systematic change.