By the end of the year, the global treaty to end plastic pollution will be agreed. However, getting there is proving to be tricky. As things stand, the negotiations have become mired in division between decisionmakers and lobbyists on how best to tackle our plastic waste problem. Not least, disagreements about putting global limits on plastic production are hampering discussions.
This World Oceans Day, on 8 June, we need to put compassion back into the plastics debate. We must focus on the most affected communities. Take the ocean plastic problem as a case in point. Each year, at least eight million tonnes of plastics leak into the ocean – the equivalent of a rubbish lorry dumping its contents every single minute. The only way we’re ever going to begin to clear up such a gigantic mess is if we prioritise the knowledge and the needs of the people on the frontline of the problem, who live on the most polluted coastlines. Without their crucial insights and engagement, nothing will happen. All solutions should be shaped by them.
The truth is we need them. Informal waste workers in affected communities manage 58% of all the plastic waste that’s collected and recovered globally. As the United Nations Environment Programme has emphasised, we cannot transform our relationship with plastic without them. They are critical to the treaty’s success because they not only do most of the cleaning up, but they also understand the real details of what’s happening on-the-ground – and in the oceans. That’s why they will play a critical role in the transition to a circular economy for plastic. They will be the people tasked with recovering most of the waste and organising it for recycling.
Of course, the treaty must mandate the removal of as much plastic as possible. However, for the unavoidable plastics that remain, the way we collect and recycle them should have people at its heart. The best way forward is to adopt a grassroots approach that centres around informal waste workers – the people who are living and breathing the global plastic crisis. We need to listen to their experiences and opinions to co-create plans of action.
With the Prevented Ocean Plastic™ programme, we are building just such a model. As the first recycled plastic supplier to become a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative, we are building recycling infrastructure – underpinned by rigorous standards – in areas that rely on the informal waste sector. Such an approach is key to improving people’s lives and ensuring they can work safely and with dignity, while they clean up the world’s waste plastic.
In our view, all treaty decisionmakers must consider how best to empower these waste workers. For example, they should support their entrepreneurial journeys by ensuring they have better transport, pay and working conditions. Such measures will also contribute to the sustainable development of entire communities.
At the same time, the approach to the world’s plastic pollution problem must be highly localised, in terms of both geography and culture. When it comes to the collection of waste plastic, it’s necessary to know all about an area’s terrain, urban centres and water bodies. Even within the same country, waste collectors work in diverse environments, each with their own health and safety challenges. However, it’s just as important to understand local people’s customs and mindsets. Each location presents different structural social challenges. A one-size-fits-all approach will never work.
Everyone involved in global plastic treaty discussions must remember the real reasons for action – not just to protect our planet’s beautiful ecosystems, but also the people and communities at the heart of the plastics crisis. A just and inclusive transition to a circular economy for these people – whose lives have been affected by unprecedented volumes of plastic waste – is critical. It’s not just fair, but also how to guarantee a positive outcome. They are the experts in this area and they will be doing most of the work.
People are key to solving our plastic problem. We must move beyond division and disagreement to put humanity at the centre of the debate and, consequently, the critical decisions that will be made by the end of the year.