WASHINGTON, DC — Following France and the United States’ declaration of support for a full life cycle approach to a plastics treaty, Jane Patton, Plastics & Petrochemicals Campaign Manager at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), issued the following statement:
With today’s announcement, France and the United States echo what countries, scientists, academics, businesses, and civil society, Indigenous Peoples, workers and trade unions, other organizations, and individuals from around the world have been saying for years: there needs to be a legally-binding, full life cycle response to the plastics crisis. We applaud the commitments to seek a global solution to the plastics crisis and we are encouraged by their commitment to robust stakeholder participation.
Today’s announcement is a welcome development that must be coupled with a commitment to ending dramatic expansion of plastic production that is putting human rights, ecosystems and our shared climate at risk in countries around the world. Countries at the epicenter of this expansion, including the United States, should reevaluate permitting decisions for new plastic polymer production to address their full impacts on environmental justice and on the planet. Simultaneously, they must re-evaluate any trade agreements that undermine existing treaties, enabling waste colonialism.
When countries come to the negotiating table next month, they must do more than issue proclamations. Bold action is critical. For a legal instrument to effectively respond to the scale and the scope of the plastics crisis, there is no room for weak, non-binding, or voluntary commitments. We strongly encourage Member States to ensure that the mandate that comes out of UNEA contains detailed, specific provisions to lay the foundation for robust and meaningful negotiations to unfold as rapidly as possible to sufficiently address the growing crisis. Such a mandate includes targets for reductions, mechanisms for coordination, and a human-rights-based approach.
We look forward to working with stakeholders at UNEA and throughout upcoming negotiations to ensure that solutions adopted at the local, national, and global level — including efforts toward circularity — are predicated on their commitments to human rights, environmental justice, and to protecting the climate and biodiversity.
Media contact:
Cate Bonacini, press@ciel.org +1-202-742-5847
Posted on February 11, 2022