Plastic Pollution Coalition joined more than 836 governments, organizations, businesses, and institutions across the globe in submitting a voluntary commitment for plastic pollution reduction during the UN’s Ocean Conference, June 5-9.
Read Plastic Pollution Coalition’s commitment: International Working Group Coordination for Plastic Pollution Reduction.
PPC’s commitment includes using topic-specific Working Groups to better coordinate action-oriented agendas to reduction plastic pollution. “The foundation of the Working Groups is on changing the narrative around disposable plastics, including shifting perceptions of disposable plastic as ‘cheap’ and ‘clean’ to an understanding of the true environmental cost and toxic health impacts of single-use plastic and resultant plastic pollution,” explained PPC Managing Director, Jane Patton.
Deliverables from PPC’s commitment include:
- A global shift in both restaurant policy and individual practice away from the use of single-use plastic straws, either away from straws entirely or toward reusable or truly compostable single-use options.
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Meaningful contributions to the existing research and analysis on single-use plastic, including: [a] Analysis of an improved method for quantifying plastic waste to impact sustainability goals, accounting for both weight and volume. [b] Life cycle impact assessments on single-use plastic packaging accounting for (1) a more realistic analysis of municipal waste management and (2) the entire system of plastic production, from extraction to manufacture to waste management.
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A global toolkit which can be used by advocates at all levels – governments, organizations, and individuals – across the world to adopt laws and regulations limiting the production and use of single-use plastic (bags, containers, cups, lids, straws, and more).
PPC co-founder and CEO Dianna Cohen said years of hard work have led to this moment, when plastic pollution is receiving global dialogue. “All of our Coalition members, friends, and allies have worked to achieve a high level of discourse on the global plastic pollution crisis,” she said. “We thank the UN’s Ocean Conference for bringing together stakeholders to commit to reducing plastic pollution–with attention to source reduction and producer responsibility–and restoring the health of our oceans.”
Plastic Pollution Coalition is a global alliance of organizations, businesses, and leaders working toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on humans, animals, our oceans, waterways, and the environment.
