Unilever CEO Alan Jope has added his voice to business calls for a legally binding UN treaty to tackle plastic pollution.
Signatories to the WWF petition include IKEA, Coca-Cola, H&M, Danone, Mars, Nestlé, Mondelez and Starbucks.
Alan Jope said, “At the upcoming UN Environment Assembly, a process to deliver legally-binding goals must be agreed before it’s too late.
“The scale and complexity of the crisis is well understood. Momentum is there, and we know what needs to be done. Now is the time to take those tough decisions.
“We’re at a critical point in time to establish an ambitious UN treaty on plastics.”
He points to a report by The Pew Charitable Trusts that says inadequate regulatory frameworks, business models and funding mechanisms are preventing plastic pollution from being addressed.
“We urge the United Nations to urgently commence negotiations on a plastic pollution treaty”
The call from business signatories reads, “We believe that by harmonising regulatory standards, mandating the development of national targets and action plans, defining common metrics and methodologies, and supporting innovation and infrastructure development, a UN treaty on plastic pollution can help drive the transition to a circular economy for plastic — at speed and scale.
“We urge the member states of the United Nations to urgently commence negotiations on a treaty on plastic pollution.”
The petition says the lifetime cost of plastic produced in 2019 alone will be US$3.7 trillion.
Unilever says the treaty must be legally binding for governments and include mandatory targets to limit virgin plastic production.
It says a level playing field “prevents a patchwork of disconnected ambitions and solutions” and creates the conditions for plastic to be absorbed into a circular economy at scale.
