How We Can Help WithThe Plastics Pollution Problem

Delegates have just wrapped up the first round of discussions at INC-1 (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee) in Uruguay, and will continue to negotiate treaty terms over the next few years. The Story of Stuff is working alongside movement partners to advocate for an ambitious and binding treaty that addresses the entire life cycle of plastics, from fossil fuel extraction all the way to disposal and incineration.

We will be delivering a petition to governments, leaders and national representatives worldwide calling for a Global Plastics Treaty that:

• Is legally binding and has deadlines to cap and reduce plastic production, accelerating the transition away from single-use plastics and towards reuse and refill.
• Rejects false solutions like waste incineration, chemical “recycling”, waste-to-energy, international dumping and other industry-supported efforts to continue business-as-usual plastic production.
• Prioritizes the health, livelihoods and expertise of frontline workers and communities across the plastics’ life cycle.
• Include provisions that hold polluting corporations and plastic producing countries accountable.

On the other hand, some countries including the United States are currently uninterested in a comprehensive, multilateral treaty and plastic production caps. Instead, they are putting their support behind non-binding, individualized national plans that leave too much room for industry greenwashing and lack of real progress.

Can you sign on and help us push your home country to play a constructive role in the following round of discussions at INC-2? By coming together as engaged global citizens, we can continue applying pressure where needed, in order to realize a Global Plastics Treaty that can truly change the way plastics are produced, used and thrown away.

For a more sustainable and just world,
Alex and The Story of Stuff team