G20 countries can witness double use of plastic by 2050, if…
1 min read . Updated: 27 Feb 2023, 10:18 AM IST
PremiumThe research said existing programs to boost recycling or cutting single-use plastic consumption only scratched the surface, while a more comprehensive global plan to stop it is required.
In G20 countries, plastic use is on course to nearly double by 2050 unless a comprehensive and legally binding global treaty to curb consumption is drawn up, according to research group Back to Blue, run by the Economist Impact think-tank and the Nippon Foundation, a private philanthropic organization.
The research stated that existing programs to boost recycling or cutting single-use plastic consumption only scratched the surface, while a more comprehensive global plan to stop it is required.
In November, the United Nations kicked off negotiations on an agreement to tackle plastic pollution in Uruguay with the aim of drawing up a legally binding treaty by the end of next year. A total of 175 countries have signed up for the talks, Reuters reported.
However, if negotiations fail, annual plastic production in G20 countries could rise to 451 million tonnes by 2050, according to current rates of growth, Back to Blue said - up nearly three-quarters from 2019.
The research group said, "There should be no illusions that the treaty negotiations will be anything but difficult and treacherous. The chances of failure - not just that no treaty emerges but one that is too weak to reverse the plastic tide - are considerable."
The group further called for a more aggressive ban on single-use plastic together with higher production taxes and mandatory schemes to make firms responsible for the entire lifespan of their products, including recycling and disposal, as per Reuters reports.
Back to Blue said that the combined measures could limit annual plastic consumption to 325 million tonnes by 2050, but that would still be up by a quarter compared to 2019, and the equivalent of 238 million filled rubbish trucks.
Among the G20 countries that have yet to introduce national bans on single-use plastic products are Brazil, the United States, Indonesia, and Turkey, the report said.
(With Reuters inputs)