The Issue

On March $2,2022$ in Nairobi, Kenya, an environmental assembly of $175$ international representatives agreed

on a roadmap toward a treaty to end plastics pollution. The United Nations Environmental Assembly determined that over the next two years, guidelines will be established for all aspects of the plastics industry, from

production to distribution to waste to reuse. The approval of this plastics plan is being touted as the most crucial climate deal since the Paris Agreement.

Details of the plan are aimed at curbing major companies from generating pollution in oceans, landfills, and in

the air we breathe. While the Paris Agreement reduced greenhouse emissions, helping establish regulations

on climate change issues, the new environmental treaty will tackle plastic waste and disposal across several

industries, driving the issue of pollution and climate change peril into open discussions across major economic sectors for creative solutions that can be quickly implemented.

$$Plastic pollution is a planetary crisis, a threat that affects all of us$,$ Jeanne d$$Arc Mujawamariya, the Rwandan

environment minister, stated at the summit. $$The real work now begins.$$

Why Is It News?

The staggering percentages of plastic waste have led to estimates of $1\mathrm{.}3$ billion tons of global environmental

damage by $2040.$ Consumer single$-$use items such as plastic bags and kitchen utensils are in the billions, and

$20$ million sea animals die annually due to plastic waste. Half the plastic in production is single$-$use, and only

$14\%$ of all plastics globally is recycled.

Evolving business values that emphasize building prosperous economies through mindful environmental resolve remained a key tenet of the conversations in Nairobi. However, one point of contention in the agreement is determining the boundaries of liability between plastics producers and governments. It is unclear who

will ultimately bear the cost of recycling, particularly for plastics exported to developing countries without the

technical or financial infrastructure for recycling. Even in developed countries, including the United States,

the costs of waste management are often passed to municipal governments that may already be financially

spread thin. The process of discerning finer points of delineation in cost and obligation will advance throughout the treaty discussions.

The considerations in the agreement target not just plastic waste but plastic production, particularly that of

single$-$use plastics, a primary driver of pollution. The draft resolution recommends the sustainable redesign

of plastic packaging so that it could be reused and recycled$$a point that may have a drastic impact on consumer goods and retail companies that rely on plastic packaging or shipping materials.

The issue of labor is also a critical point in the agreement. Plastic waste management is largely done by underpaid labor who risk injury and toxic vapors while collecting, sorting, and recycling plastic waste. This is the

first time that pickers and recycling laborers have been formally recognized in a major sustainability initiative. The necessity for urgent change will undoubtedly impact businesses across multiple industries, particularly

considering the projected $$100$ billion risk if governments determine that businesses will be financially responsible for waste management. The redesign and re$-$evaluation of properties, production, recycling ability, and import$/$export issues will be part of the process in determining the most equitable and healthy plan for

the world. Ultimately the success of the agreement will depend on the creative input of industry leadership in

conjunction with the legally binding nature of the final treaty, which will potentially enforce punitive measures

against nations or companies that violate the treaty$$We all know that an agreement will only count if it is legally binding,$$ said Inger Andersen, executive director

of the United Nations Environment Programme. $$I have complete faith that once endorsed by this assembly

we will have something truly historic on our hands.$$

Discussion Questions

$1.$ Which industries do you expect to be most impacted by the treaty?

$2.$ What changes do you think businesses will have to make in order to be in compliance?

$3.$ Who do you think should bear the cost of plastic waste management: plastic producers or local governments?