Hundreds of people march to ‘end the plastic age’ ahead of treaty negotiations

Days before national delegates meet for the fourth and penultimate negotiations to develop a Global Plastics Treaty in Ottawa, Canada, about 500 indigenous and community representatives, members of civil society and environmental groups, and experts and scientists gathered for a ‘March to a to put an end to Plastics’. Era” on Sunday.

The demonstrators, organized under the banner of Break Free From Plastic, called for a treaty that significantly reduces plastic production and focuses on the frontline communities most affected by the plastic crisis.

“Delegates should act as if our lives depend on it – because they do,” Daniela Duran Gonzales, senior legal campaigner at the Center for International Environmental Law, said in a statement. “Our climate goals, the protection of human health, the enjoyment of human rights and the rights of future generations all rest on whether the future plastics treaty will control and reduce the number of polymers to successfully end the plastic pollution crisis.”

“Short-sighted business interests must be eliminated, because the only way to achieve an equitable livelihood is if we have a healthy planet.”

The official meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to draft an “international legally binding instrument against plastic pollution, including in the marine environment” will take place in the Canadian capital from April 23 to 29.

Break Free From Plastic called the negotiations a “make or break” moment for the treaty, which should be finalized in Busan, South Korea, by the end of 2024. However, civil society groups have expressed concern that oil-producing countries and the plastics industry will dilute the agreement and shift it toward waste management and recycling, proving to be a false solution to the plastic pollution that has been deliberately created for decades. promoted by the industry. .

The latest round of negotiations concluded in Nairobi, Kenya, in late 2023, with little progress after 143 fossil fuel and chemicals lobbyists attended.

Thailand’s Salisa Traipipitsiriwat, senior campaigner and project manager on plastics in Southeast Asia for the Environmental Justice Foundation, said ahead of Sunday’s march that it was “crucial for world leaders to step up and put people and the planet at the forefront .”

“Short-sighted business interests must be taken out of the closet because the only way to achieve fair livelihoods is if we have a healthy planet,” Traipipitsiriwat added.

On Sunday, protesters gathered at 10:30 a.m. ET for a press conference before marching from Parliament Hill to the Shaw Center around 11:30 a.m., where negotiations are set to begin Tuesday. The crowd began to disperse around 1:30 p.m. The participants carried large banners with messages such as ‘End the plastic age’, ‘End multi-generational exposure to toxic substances’, and pointed out that 99% of plastic came from fossil fuels. The event featured live music and art, including a giant crane pouring out plastic and a ‘Plastisaurus rex’ with the message ‘Make single-use plastic extinct’.

(Photo: Break free from plastic)

“Now is the time to be bold and push for a treaty that reduces plastic production and holds polluters accountable,” Julie Teel Simmonds, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement before March. “I am inspired to join so many advocates in Ottawa to stand up against the enormous damage the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries are causing to the health of people and the planet. I hope countries show ambition this week, and I urge them to remember what is at stake for future generations.”

Civil society groups have put forward several demands for an ambitious and effective treaty. These are:

1. Putting human rights at the center, especially those of indigenous communities, youth and workers most affected by plastic pollution;
2. Protecting the rights of indigenous peoples throughout the treaty process;
3. Dealing with plastics throughout their entire life cycle;
4. Reducing production as a ‘non-negotiable’ part of the treaty;
5. Eliminating toxic chemicals and additives from plastics;
6. Strengthening reuse systems for plastics that are non-toxic;
7. Prioritize prevention first, then reuse, recycling, recovery and disposal in plastic waste management;
8. Ending ‘waste colonialism’ by strengthening regulations on plastics trade;
9. Ensuring a ‘just transition’ for people working throughout the entire life cycle of plastics;
10. Including “non-partisan” provisions in the treaty;
11. Setting up a mechanism to finance countries so that they can fully implement the treaty; And
12. Enshrining a conflict of interest policy to protect against lobbying in the plastics industry.

The coalition emphasized the need to tackle the plastic problem from cradle to grave.

“Plastics don’t just become pollution when they’re thrown away,” said Jessica Roff, plastics and petrochemicals program manager in the U.S. and Canada for the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. “Plastic is pollution, from the moment fossil fuels are extracted from the ground until the perpetuity of the waste it produces.”

Chrie Wilke, global advocacy manager of the Waterkeeper Alliance, said: “The crux of the plastic pollution crisis is clearly that too much plastic is being produced. There is no way to recycle from this. We must face the fact that plastics and petrochemicals, at current production levels, we are endangering waterways, communities and fisheries around the world. Reducing production and implementing non-plastic alternatives and reuse systems are essential.”

(Photo: Ben Powless/Survival Media Agency)

Activists also highlighted the implications of plastic pollution for the environment, and how some communities and groups are burdened more than others, both by the hazards of the production process and waste disposal.

“Children and youth like me suffer the most and are recognized as a vulnerable group,” said Aeshnina ‘Nina’ Azzahra, the founder of River Warrior Indonesia. “My playground and my future are at stake. We all want our environment to be plastic-free, but please don’t put your burden on the other side of the world. This is NOT fair. As adults coming to Ottawa to negotiate the plastics treaty you must protect our rights to live in a healthy and safe environment.”

Jo Banner, co-founder and co-director of The Descendants Project, said: “Frontline community members, like myself, join these treaty negotiations with heavy hearts as our communities at home struggle with illness and disease caused by the upstream production of plastic.”

“While our hearts are heavy, they are passionate and urge negotiators to push for an ambitious treaty that curbs plastic production,” Banner added. “Areas like my hometown, located in the heart of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, need a strong treaty now. There is no more time to waste.”