Hundreds of thousands of animals die every year from eating and getting tangled in plastic waste, which is why the world’s most industrialized nations have agreed upon a landmark deal designed to reduce soaring levels of plastic waste polluting the world’s oceans. The framework has been drawn up in Japan. It requires countries to reduce and prevent plastic waste and report on their progress.
Environment and energy ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union) agreed to adopt a voluntary framework for reducing plastic litter. The framework includes strategies designed to assist developing countries.
The G20 countries make up about 85% of the global GDP. Delegates from every nation in this group met recently in Karuizawa, northwest of Tokyo, ahead of the G20 summit which will take place in Osaka, western Japan soon. The issue of plastic waste in our seas has reached desperate measures. The news has been flooded with the effects of soaring pollution levels. The evidence of the damage being done to wildlife is recorded.
While many countries have moved to ban plastic bags outright, the levels of waste still going into the sea are enormous. Photographs of beaches covered with plastic waste and rapidly rising numbers of dead animals found with stomachs full of plastic have sparked outrage across the world. Every year more than 150 million tonnes of plastic waste pollutes the world’s oceans, according to estimates published by the UK government.
The growth in single-use consumer plastics has fueled the surge in plastic pollution to the point that around 40% of plastics are thought to enter the waste stream in the same year they’re produced. Sadly, about a million birds and more than 100,000 sea mammals die every year from eating and getting tangled in all this plastic waste.
And since more than 180 countries agreed to tougher rules for shipping non-recyclable plastic waste across national borders, everyone will have to deal with their non-recyclables at home instead of shipping it to other countries. This has come as a blessing in disguise for Japan’s paper industry. As it becomes more of a hassle to deal with plastic, companies are searching for replacement materials to package their products. According to Asia Nikkei, manufacturers are now coming up with new ways to supplant plastic products in everything from straws to shampoo containers. “The shift from plastic to paper will continue,” said Motoshi Muraoka, partner at NTT Data Institute of Management and Consulting. “It’s an unstoppable wave.”
Seeing as the G20 summit will be in Japan, the country is hoping to cast itself as a leader on the issue, and will reportedly press for an international agreement to reduce the amount of plastic going into the ocean during the Osaka summit from June 28 to 30. “Ocean plastic waste is one of the issues topping the G20 summit agenda, and as the chair of the meeting, we will exercise leadership to solve the matter,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
Japan is the second-largest per capita producer of plastic waste in the world after the United States. It is true that they have a comparatively high recycling rate, however, it lags behind on efforts to reducing single-use plastic. That is why included in the policy is a plan to require retailers to charge customers for plastic bags. Furthermore, Japan’s policy aims to recycle 100% of newly produced plastics by 2035 and promotes the use of biodegradable alternatives, like paper. The package also includes a plan to support Southeast Asian countries with recycling technologies and other infrastructure. “I’m glad that we, including emerging countries and developing countries, were able to form a broad international framework,” Yoshiaki Harada, Japan’s environment minister, told a news conference.
Hiroaki Odachi of Greenpeace Japan described the deal as “the first step towards resolving the issue. But given the critical situation of ocean pollution with plastics, it is urgently necessary to set up legally binding action plans with clear timelines and goals.”
