The UN Environment Assembly is due to take place very soon, which is expected to bring together the political leaders of a large number of countries. And ahead of the event, more than 70 major businesses and financial institutions released a statement calling for a massive, comprehensive and legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. It is noteworthy that the application was officially approved by such giants as Coca-Cola Company, Mondelēz, Mondi, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, TOMRA, Unilever and others.
The statement argues that the new UN treaty should set common high standards that all countries must meet and encourage the transition to a circular economy for plastics worldwide. In addition, the initiative group says that the UN treaty is necessary to ensure the interaction of governments, businesses and the public to create a circular economy that is successful in practice and at scale. Companies also identify the need for a "robust governance structure" which ensures that UN member states comply with standardized definitions and parameters, and supports various countries and industries that require additional assistance in making the necessary transition.
Andrew Morlet, CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, says of the announcement: “Today marks the first time so many leading businesses have come together and called for a legally-binding, robust treaty; one that sets common rules and regulations, establishes a level playing field and creates the conditions needed to delivery coordinated global solutions. This statement sends a powerful signal to policymakers that they now have an unprecedent opportunity to turn the tide on plastic pollution.”
After reading such news, it is reasonable to ask the question: “How can this affect our reality?” Not in the short term. First of all, also because the adoption and signing of such an agreement is not a quick matter. However, it is already possible to draw conclusions about the mood of large global business in relation to plastic packaging, as well as the rapid development of a wide variety of developments both in its secondary use and in its complete replacement.
Materials from the site packagingeurope.com are used.