Change.inc by ROMY DE WEERT 22 februari 2022
A poll of Ipsos, among more than 20,000 people in 28 countries, shows that about 75 percent of the world population is in favor of a ban on disposable plastic.
The plastic problem is no longer absent from our society. The situation got worse during the corona pandemic, and so the United Nations (UN) is warning of another crisis. A plastic crisis, because that too is a threat to our health, the UN sees.
Global plastic treaty
Global agreements to combat plastic pollution are therefore badly needed. A poll of Ipsos, among more than 20,000 people in 28 countries, shows that about 75 percent of the world population is in favor of a ban on disposable plastic. The Plastic Free Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) commissioned the survey ahead of the Environment Summit in Nairobi later this month.
Activists say it sends a clear message to governments to tackle the plastic problem once and for all. “People around the world have made their views clear,” Marco Lambertini, director general of the World Wildlife Fund International, told Reuters. “It is now up to governments to adopt a global plastic treaty so that we can eliminate plastic pollution.”
A plastic crisis is a threat to our health, UN picture by Nataliya Vaitkevich
Leaders in Nairobi
On February 28, government leaders around the world will meet in Nairobi to make plans for a pact on plastic. Ipsos’ polling shed light on support for such a pact.
But not everyone is waiting for a ban on plastic. Last week it appeared that large oil and chemical companies are devising strategies to get a possible ban on disposable plastic off the ground.
Major manufacturers say they have their own goals for reducing plastic use. Coca-Cola, for example, said earlier this month that it wants to make 25 percent of the packaging it uses worldwide reusable by 2030. But whether such initiatives are ambitious enough to prevent a plastic crisis remains to be seen.