
marina_larina | stock.adobe.com
As I prepare to travel to Busan, South Korea, where negotiators from around the world are gathering, I urge governments not to miss a historic opportunity to address one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time: plastic pollution.
INC-5, the final round of talks to secure a United Nations treaty based on legally binding global rules to tackle this crisis worldwide, calls for decisive action.
RELATED: GPPC calls on governments to ‘stay the course’ in pursuit of plastics treaty | EPA releases ‘National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution’
Plastic pollution is everywhere. It’s floating in our rivers, littering our streets, invading our most precious wild spaces and even entering our bodies. It shouldn’t be there, and it doesn’t have to be. The current system for making and managing plastics is not working. And, so, the system must change.
A circular economy that eliminates waste and pollution, circulates products and materials and regenerates nature will benefit people, business and the natural world.
The upcoming treaty talks taking place from Nov. 25 to Dec. 1 are truly a once-in-a-generation opportunity and, if done ambitiously with enforceable rules that tackle the full plastics life cycle, will unlock billions of dollars of economic opportunities. This treaty is far from a distant idea—it is an urgent, real opportunity backed by business leaders worldwide who are calling for governments to come together and agree [on] globally harmonized regulations to chart a unified path forward.
The INC-5 negotiations mark a critical moment for the world to show that we can address a global crisis with a global solution creating economic opportunities for all. Now is the time for bold action.
Sponsored Content
Still relying on manual sorters?
Let AI do the heavy lifting. Waste Robotics delivers reliable, high-performance robots tailored for complex waste streams. They require minimal maintenance, are easy to operate, and are designed to boost your recovery rates. Smarter sorting starts with the right partner. Waste Expo Booth #1969 & REMA #2843
Click here to see our robots in action!Marta Longhurst is the Global Plastics Treaty manager at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and is based in England.
Get curated news on YOUR industry.
Enter your email to receive our newsletters.
Latest from Recycling Today
- Trump’s ‘liberation day’ results in retaliatory tariffs
- Commentary: Waste, CPG industries must lean into data to make sustainable packaging a reality
- DPI acquires Concept Plastics Co.
- Stadler develops second Republic Services Polymer Center
- Japanese scrap can feed its EAF sector, study finds
- IRG cancels plans for Pennsylvania PRF
- WIH Resource Group celebrates 20th anniversary
- Ecobat touts commissioning 3 LIB recycling plants in a year