Citizen awareness and public campaigns – and laws – to reduce plastic waste are positive and necessary, but one of the essential elements in the proliferation of this type of garbage is the growing production of plastics.
The more plastics are manufactured, the more plastic waste accumulates in landfills, streets and the environment in general. This statement, which, depending on how you look at it, may seem obvious, has now been statistically demonstrated in a study whose results are published in the journal Science Advances (from the Nature group).
Specifically, the authors have observed a direct statistical correlation between plastic production and plastic pollution, such that every 1% increase in plastic production is associated with a 1% increase in plastic pollution in the environment. .
The study concludes, on the other hand, that the companies that produce or market the so-called Fast Moving Consumer Goods, mass consumption products that sell quickly and have a short useful life (for example, soft drinks in single-use plastic containers) “contribute disproportionately to the problem more than household and commercial businesses or retail producers.” The study now presented is “the first solid quantification of the global relationship between plastic production and pollution from this type of waste,” highlights the publishing magazine in a note disclosing the results.
The research, led by scientists from a dozen different universities in the United States, Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Estonia, Chile, Sweden, Canada and the United Kingdom, found that 56 global companies are responsible for more than half of all brand plastic pollution. The Coca-Cola Company was responsible for 11% of brand waste, followed by PepsiCo (5%), Nestlé (3%), Danone (3%) and Altria/Philip Morris International (2%). The main companies identified produce food, beverages or tobacco products.
Five-year analysis used brand audit data
The strong relationship between plastic production and pollution, in different geographies and very different waste management systems, suggests that reducing plastic production in the fast-moving consumer goods sector is a viable solution to curb plastic pollution global. As world leaders negotiate a Global Plastics Treaty at INC-4 this month in Ottawa, Canada, this research serves as a tool to support a high-ambition legally binding treaty that includes provisions on corporate responsibility, prioritization of pollution reduction measures plastic production and promotion of reuse. and recharging systems.
Win Cowger, co-author of the study and director of research at the Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, explained that when he first observed the relationship between production and pollution he was “shocked”, “it was the reality of my worst nightmare.” . The result of the study means that “despite everything big brands say they are doing, we see no positive impact from their efforts.” However, Cowger believes that, “on the other hand, the results give hope that fast-moving consumer goods companies that reduce their plastic production and opt for more durable and reusable products can have a strong positive impact on the environment.” atmosphere”.
Kathy Willis, co-author of the study and postdoctoral student at CSIRO (Australia’s national science agency), indicates that “this research provides the first quantification of the contribution of global producers to branded plastic pollution. The findings suggest that single-use packaging contributes significantly to branded plastic pollution. “This data can help inform ways to address plastic production and reduce plastic waste ending up in the environment.”
For her part, study co-author Lisa Erdle, Director of Science and Innovation, The 5 Gyres Institute, highlights that the new research “underlines the fundamental role of corporate responsibility in tackling plastic pollution.” “We, As individuals, we are not responsible for the plastic crisis, the responsibility to take decisive action lies with these 56 global companies.” “I urge world leaders at INC-4 to listen to the science and consider the clear link between production of plastic and pollution during the negotiations for a Global Treaty on Plastics,” says Lisa Erdle, referring to the session being held this week at the UN for the future global treaty on plastics.