Welcome to Higginson Strategy’s weekly round-up of international news relating to plastic pollution.
This week, UN Global Plastic Treaty negotiations have ended in stalemate. New research conducted by environmental consultancy Eunomia and the Quaker United Nations Office found that subsidies for the plastics industry could swell to $150 billion by 2050. A new study conducted by Deep Science Ventures found thousands of toxic chemicals in humans, as scientists urge food pack transparency. The International Council of Nurses called for action on reducing plastic in healthcare settings. Finally, Central American beaches are being overrun with plastic.
Plastic pollution talks fail as negotiators in Geneva reject draft treaties
Once again, negotiators will leave the plastic summit this week without a treaty, having failed to reach agreement in what was supposed to have been the final round of talks.
The delegates, who were attempting to complete a crucial treaty to end the plastic pollution crisis remain deadlocked over whether it should reduce exponential growth of plastic production and put global, legally binding controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics. The session was finally adjourned at approximately 09:13 CET, with the Chair stating negotiations would resume at a “later date”.
Read more here.
Plastics industry subsidies ‘set to swell to $150bn USD by 2050’
Governments across the world last year provided $80bn USD of subsidies to producers and processors of primary plastic polymers, whose expansion plans mean they could cash in for $150bn USD by mid-century, it has been claimed. The claim has been made as a result of research from environmental consultancy Eunomia in collaboration with the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO).
Around 305 million tonnes of plastic polymer materials were produced in 2024. The plastics industry has stated that any significant reductions in some subsidies would dramatically increase material costs.
Thousands of toxic chemicals found in humans as scientists urge food pack transparency
A new study has found that over 3,600 synthetic chemicals from food-contact materials are present in human bodies — 80 of which have properties of high concern. The UK-based researchers call for greater transparency in the production of plastics and food packaging, as well as tightened regulations to develop and promote safer alternatives.
The research, conducted by Deep Sciences Ventures, also finds that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are present in all humans tested. It stipulates that current frameworks are based on “outdated principles” that underestimate the toxic effects of low exposure to harmful chemicals.
Read more here.
International Council of Nurses makes plea to reduce use of plastic in healthcare
The International Council of Nurses (ICN), a global nursing organisation, has called for action on reducing plastic in healthcare settings. The ICN said it was supporting 48 million health professionals around the world demanding inclusion of healthcare in a global plastic treaty.
Previous drafts of the global plastic treaty have exempted the healthcare industry from resolutions to decrease plastic waste and promote sustainability across product life cycles, including waste disposal. Opponents argued the exemption is unhelpful and will limit innovation and sustainable practice in healthcare.
Read more here.
Central American Beaches Are Being Overrun with Plastic
A study of plastic bottles washed up on the Pacific coast of Latin America has identified a double problem: a mass of local waste combined with long-traveling bottles from Asia. The research, the first to be conducted on a regional scale, found that across the region, Central American countries are most affected by coastal plastic pollution.
The countries with the highest rates of plastic bottle pollution were El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, likely due to their coastal population density, high consumption of beverages in plastic containers, and poor waste management. Furthermore, while continental beaches were filled with local products, island beaches received many Asian bottles, likely arriving from ships and via ocean currents.
Read more here.