NGOs and businesses call for UN treaty on plastic pollution

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A new report reveals a treaty will accelerate global efforts to tackle the eradication of plastic pollution.

A report launched today by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Boston Consulting Group reveals that a new international treaty on plastic pollution will benefit both the environment and business, and would complement existing initiatives - accelerating global efforts to tackle the eradication of plastic pollution.

Titled, The Business Case for a UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution, the report shows that despite a doubling of voluntary initiatives and national regulations over the last five years, plastic waste continues to leak into the environment at alarming rates - with more than 11 million tonnes of plastic flowing into our oceans each year. There is an urgent need to amplify current efforts through a more coordinated and ambitious approach.

The report further sets out the opportunity for a new global UN treaty on plastic pollution to significantly accelerate progress towards a circular economy for plastics. Through the establishment of a common structure it would set a clear direction and conditions, giving governments and businesses the impetus to decisively move forward. The report’s authors argue that a global agreement setting out global goals and binding targets, together with national action plans and consistent measurements is needed to harmonise policy efforts, enhance investment planning, stimulate innovation and coordinate infrastructure development. While voluntary initiatives can deliver change among market leaders, an international binding approach is needed to deliver the necessary industry scale change.