US shifts to support global plastic production cuts

In a significant policy shift, the United States is now backing a global treaty to reduce plastic production, putting it at odds with major plastic producers like Saudi Arabia and China.

Valerie Volcovici reports for Reuters.

In short:

• According to a source close to negotiators, the U.S. will support a global treaty to reduce the production of new plastic, a change from its previous stance.
• This move aligns the U.S. with countries like the EU and Canada, which advocate for caps on plastic production and eliminating harmful chemicals.
• The U.S. will also support creation of a list of harmful chemicals for phaseout.
• The policy shift comes just before crucial treaty negotiations in South Korea and has received mixed reactions from industry and environmental groups.

Key quote:

"This significant change of heart by the U.S. State Department — to support a global target that will reduce plastic production and to identify a list of hazardous chemicals to be eliminated from plastics — is affirmation of hard work by an assemblage of organizations working to ensure the treaty negotiations fully incorporated concerns about the human health effects chemicals in plastics. It was already clear that the current level of plastic production was unsustainable, and that current 'business as usual' projections by industry were going to make things much worse. If the State Department sticks to this commitment, we will all benefit."

— Pete Myers, EHS founder and chief scientist

Why this matters:

By backing the treaty, the U.S. is acknowledging that our addiction to plastics is not just an eyesore but a real threat to our health and the environment.

Read more from EHN about the impacts of plastic on our health:

A plastic recipe for societal suicide

Every stage of plastic production and use is harming human health: Report