The apparent convenience that this throw-away society brings has wrought environmental catastrophe on our ecosystems. It floods our drains. Blocks our rivers. Chokes our oceans. And enters our bodies. We have come to realize that the throw-away world cannot work.
By Inger Andersen
Polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester, polycarbonate, polypropylene, and so much more. Since their invention over the last century, these materials have become part of our lives. In the early 1950s, when the materials were mass-marketed in commercials and ads, the adds had to emphasize that we were to throw the materials away after use. This was an entirely new concept.
We were in the post Second World War world, and no civilization had lived with the concept of using a material — a bottle, a plate, a fork, a container, a cup, a bag – only once. We had to learn that. But both the convenience and the apparent low cost made us quick learners. And just some 75 years later, every child sees this throw-away world from the moment she opens her eyes. Every child grows up in “a-use-once-and-throw-away world”.
But the apparent convenience that this throw-away society brings has wrought environmental catastrophe on our ecosystems. It floods our drains. Blocks our rivers. Chokes our oceans. And enters our bodies. We have come to realize that the throw-away world cannot work.
Now, let me be clear. The material — plastic — was an important invention. And we will continue to need this material. But we need to be deliberate about where and how we use it. This material will help us build lighter and more fuel-efficient zero-emission cars, ships and planes. It is a critical ingredient in construction and electrical appliances. In the construction of windmills. And so much more.
But we have come to understand that we must rethink how we produce and use plastics. Some single-use plastics have already been banned in many places. And two years ago, nations passed the historic UN Environment Assembly resolution that agreed to start negotiations for a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. Now we stand here today, on the eve of one of the fourth negotiating session on this instrument.
It took a global village to bring us to this point. Governments, yes, but also the scientists who tell about the impacts of plastic pollution. Civil society groups, including representatives of indigenous peoples, who see and feel the problems more than most. Waste pickers who bring value to the material again and again. The youth who reject the ways of the past and bring solutions for the present and the future. The private sector players who have held up their hands and said, yes, we must and we will change how we do business.
And it will take everyone to get the job done, starting with a strong outcome from INC-4 that moves us closer to an instrument that addresses the full life cycle of plastics. An instrument that ensures that we eliminate the unnecessary single use and short-lived; that we roll out refill and reuse models; that we produce less problematic plastic. That we address harmful chemicals. That we design for circularity. That we invest in solid waste management and recycling. So that we can use, reuse and recycle resources more efficiently. And so that we can dispose safely of what remains.
I have covered what I see as the most important elements of the instrument before, but they bear repeating, given what’s at stake.
First, we must agree on clear, measurable time-bound targets.
Second, we must eliminate unnecessary single use, short-lived and problematic plastics. Some uses of plastics are important and will remain so, including those that will be used to deliver net-zero. But there are many plastics, including short-lived and single use, that we all agree can go.
Third, we must redesign products. There are many initiatives we can build on, such as the recently launched Circular Design of Plastic Products Policy Brief by the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency.
Fourth, we must agree on broad strokes Extended Producer Responsibility schemes that build on guidelines and standards from the most successful schemes. Provide strong incentives for business. And promote design for circularity through eco-modulated fees to go beyond waste management.
Fifth, we must strengthen recycling by investing in environmentally sound waste management and recycling technologies that meet specific standards.
Sixth, we must address chemicals of concern. Workers and users are being exposed to hazardous chemicals in plastics. We need to find alternatives to protect human health.
Seven, we need reporting and transparency that will ensure real progress is made and enable all other solutions and prevent greenwashing.
Eight, we must explore and agree on innovative funding for implementation. Much financing will come from private sector investments. We, in UNEP, saw this ourselves when Kenya in 2017 banned single use plastic bags. The private sector immediately sprang into action producing and selling tote bags. No public funding was needed other than enforcement of the ban. The day we have targets for recycled content, the private sector will start investing in recycling facilities because of the value of the recycled content. It is encouraging that just this last week 160 financial institutions representing 15.5 trillion USD in assets signed the UNEP Finance Initiative’s Finance Statement on Plastic Pollution. A Statement that calls for an ambitious policy framework to supports the private finance sector in taking action.
Aside from the private sector funding, of course, a financial mechanism will be needed to support the institutional capacity building, experience exchange, enforcement and other shifts needed in the public sector.
Nine, we need to ensure a just transition by including and account for the perspectives of all stakeholders and ensuring a just transition that bring decent new jobs for the 20 million waste pickers who form the global sanitation work force.
Ten, we need to address existing and future plastic pollution by committing funds to clean ups and ways to capture pollution effectively.
These are elements that I hope we can see move forward in the coming days.
The objective of this instrument is to protect nature and its resources – such as food and water – and ultimately people everywhere from plastic pollution. All while leaving room for the private sector to thrive in new and better ways.
I started out by saying that every child today lives and grows up in a throw-away world. So, on this Earth Day 2024, let it be said that it was here that we turned off the plastic tap. It was here that we came together to agree that the next generation will not be part of the throw-away generations. That the next generations will grow up in a reuse, refill, reduce and recycle world. A world that understands and values our environment and its stewardship.
As I said, it took a global village to bring us to UNEA5 where we embarked on the historic journey to end plastic pollution. We need this village now to become a town, a city, a country, a planet to get a strong deal done. To work collaboratively and inclusively through multistakeholder action. To finance and implement the instrument quickly. And to end plastic pollution, once and for all.
Extracted from the speech by Inger Andersen, Executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme at the inaugural of the Partnerships Day on the eve of the fourth round of negotiations on the plastic pollution instrument, INC-4.
