Against rather gloomy expectations that 2024 would be a write-off in terms of global climate policy, this year has offered some credible, if modest, steps forward.
The much-derided COP29 conference in Azerbaijan did at least end with a last-minute deal for developing countries to receive $300 billion in annual climate financing by 2035. It also ensured that the UN’s loss and damage fund would be fully operational from next year, ready to disburse payments to countries afflicted by climate change.
Additionally, 2024 saw the European Council formally adopt legislation to dramatically reduce packaging waste and ban certain single-use plastic items like ketchup sachets and hotel toiletries in the EU. While the real hard work will be in the implementation, it is encouraging in a year of worldwide unrest and sluggish economic growth to see countries to put aside self interest in pursuit of long term, global sustainability.
However, the year is ending on a distinctly sour note after negotiators in Busan, South Korea this month failed to agree on a global treaty to end plastic pollution by 2040.
Despite 175 countries agreeing in 2022 on the need for a legally binding treaty to tackle waste and emission from plastics, the fifth round of International Negotiating Committee (INC 5) talks were derailed by a few nations, in part over efforts to cap the overall production of plastics. Negotiators are now hoping to resume discussions sometime in the middle of next year.
The scale of the problem has been spelled out at length by far more qualified commentators, but for the avoidance of any doubt: nearly 8 billion tons of plastic have been produced globally since 1950, of which only 10% has been recycled. According to the OECD, plastic waste is set to triple by 2040 unless definitive action is taken.
Meanwhile, the need for a truly global treaty on plastics is evidenced by the revelation that, while national and subnational commitments to tackle plastic waste have increased by 60% over the past five years, plastic pollution has risen by 50% in the same time period. Local initiatives are sadly not sufficient, given the scale of the challenge. Meanwhile developing nations, where an increasing amount of the world’s plastic is produced and dumped, need the support of richer countries to stem the growing tide of plastic waste.
From a business perspective, a global cap on plastic production levels the playing field. At present, more than a third of plastics produced are used in packaging. With a global treaty, packaging manufacturers that produce sustainable solutions with very little or no plastic will be less at risk of losing business to providers of cheaper all-plastic packaging. Likewise, it would more effectively incentivize the companies that use plastic packaging to innovate and adopt alternative solutions, rather than pivot their business to countries with less stringent laws.
Small wonder, therefore, that more than 200 businesses, including Walmart and Unilever, have publicly called for a global treaty on plastic waste with provisions for sustainable levels of production.
When it comes to packaging, a plastic-free future will not appear overnight: the product is simply too integrated in our supply chains and is difficult to replace when it comes to important qualities like food safety. However, low plastic solutions have already existed for decades. Food and drink cartons, made largely from paperboard, contain a fraction of the plastic used in a PET bottle and have been shown to contribute up to 73% less greenhouse gas emissions. Incentivizing the uptake of these sorts of readily available solutions globally would unlock an important part of the plastics puzzle and incentivize further innovation in the space.
Businesses know that this kind of action is exactly what consumers expect from us, with 87% of citizens across 32 countries agreeing that it is essential or important to reduce the amount of plastic produced globally. In the carton sector, we have seen a boom in new products, including hand soap and laundry detergent, now packaged in paperboard as consumer goods companies look for low-plastic, low-emission alternatives to plastic bottles. Global initiatives such as a cap on plastic production would speed up these kinds of transitions.
As we look ahead to 2025 the need for bold steps should be clearer than ever. Businesses have the will, the public support and the innovations to commit to sustainable plastic production targets. All that remains is for governments to put aside their countries’ vested interests and agree on rules that are fair for everyone. The world cannot afford to waste another year.
Thomas Körmendi is CEO of Elopak, a global supplier of fiber-based packaging.
