{"id":55563,"date":"2022-12-01T14:52:58","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T19:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/?p=55563"},"modified":"2022-12-02T07:41:19","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T12:41:19","slug":"a-new-plastics-treaty-how-canada-can-help-end-the-age-of-plastic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/55563\/a-new-plastics-treaty-how-canada-can-help-end-the-age-of-plastic\/","title":{"rendered":"A new Plastics Treaty: How Canada can help end the age of plastic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2022\/12\/95ad2031-gp1t7ucg_web_size_with_credit_line.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-55568\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2022\/12\/95ad2031-gp1t7ucg_web_size_with_credit_line.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2022\/12\/95ad2031-gp1t7ucg_web_size_with_credit_line-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2022\/12\/95ad2031-gp1t7ucg_web_size_with_credit_line-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-canada-stateless\/2022\/12\/95ad2031-gp1t7ucg_web_size_with_credit_line-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Greenpeace projects messages and plastic waste imagery in Uruguay as global leaders come together to discuss a Global Plastics Treaty in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Greenpeace is calling for an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty that will limit plastic production and use, keep oil and gas in the ground, and hold big polluters such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle and Unilever accountable for their excessive plastic production.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>As the Climate COP wraps and the Nature COP approaches, negotiations to create a new Global Plastics Treaty at the UN are underway in Uruguay. <strong>\u2018Tis the season for global governments to turn this ship around and heed mother nature\u2019s cry for help. <\/strong>But despite strong words and flashy tweets, it\u2019s still unclear what the Canadian government means when it talks about <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/environment-climate-change\/news\/2022\/09\/minister-guilbeault-advances-global-solutions-on-climate-change-biodiversity-loss-and-pollution-at-climate-week-in-new-york.html\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>setting a high level of ambition for the plastics treaty.<\/strong><\/a> That\u2019s why we want to <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/act.greenpeace.ca\/en-ca\/support-global-plastics-treaty?utm_campaign=plastic-globalplasticstreaty&amp;utm_source=GPCAweb&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_term=en-20221201-sign-blog&amp;utm_content=globalplasticstreaty.endageofplasticblog\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>help Minister Guilbeault and the federal government define what a truly ambitious, strong treaty means.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We are in Uruguay to send a clear message to UN delegates and global leaders coming together to discuss a global <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PlasticsTreaty?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PlasticsTreaty<\/a>:<br>?\ufe0f END THE AGE OF PLASTIC ?<br><br>Sign and RT to support a strong treaty <br>? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KHBz9KXv9t\">https:\/\/t.co\/KHBz9KXv9t<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BreakFreeFromPlastic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BreakFreeFromPlastic<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/INC1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#INC1<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Cdnpoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Cdnpoli<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/s_guilbeault?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@s_guilbeault<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lqOVcLSKUI\">pic.twitter.com\/lqOVcLSKUI<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Greenpeace Canada (@GreenpeaceCA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GreenpeaceCA\/status\/1598402834306924549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 1, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Treaty priorities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p><strong>The Global Plastics Treaty must prioritize protecting biodiversity, the climate and human well-being. <\/strong>A treaty will only be impactful if it puts the needs of the most vulnerable communities before the industries that are responsible for creating this crisis, starting at the beginning of plastic\u2019s life cycle \u2013 the extraction of fossil fuels. <strong>So what does this look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>To be truly impactful, Greenpeace is calling on governments to ensure a treaty covers, at minimum, the following priority action areas:<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. <strong>Centre justice in treaty proceedings and outcomes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p><strong>A rights-based approach must be taken, that centres Indigenous Peoples <sup>20<\/sup>, and ensures affected workers and impacted communities are involved in the negotiation process and solutions.<\/strong> Governments must support a just transition to more sustainable livelihoods for workers across the plastics supply chain, prioritizing the informal waste sector and otherwise affected communities in low- and middle-income countries. Support, financial and through policy, must flow from countries with the most resources and infrastructure to those with less, and this includes ending the export of plastic \u201crecycling\u201d waste to what\u2019s known as the Global South, ie. <strong>waste colonialism<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. <strong>Reduce plastic production and use<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p>It should come as no surprise that we can\u2019t curb plastic pollution unless we curb plastic production. <strong>This starts with an immediate cap on plastic production to at least 2017 levels \u2013 the year the UN declared plastic pollution a global crisis \u2013 accompanied with a time table for rapid overall reduction.<\/strong> We need the treaty to move towards a goal of eliminating all single-use applications, and to drive the minimization of plastic in other applications and sectors like agriculture, fishing, and textiles. This should start immediately with a ban on known highly problematic polymers and chemicals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. <strong>Regulate and facilitate the shift to reuse at societal scales<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n<p>The reuse revolution is happening and the zero waste movement is growing but without intentional support by global governments, the necessary transition away from linear systems won\u2019t happen fast enough. <strong>Global governments need to set legally binding reuse and refill targets across sectors to level the playing field and ramp up investment in reuse over false solutions.<\/strong> By enshrining the zero waste hierarchy as a core principle of the treaty, it can help ensure the flow of money and policy initiatives drive reuse-refill buildout over downstream initiatives and false solutions like chemical\/so-called advanced recycling, plastic credits or bio-plastics.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What\u2019s Canada\u2019s take on the Plastics Treaty?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/hactoendplasticpollution.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Canada has joined over 40 countries in a High Ambition Coalition to end plastic pollution by 2040.<\/a> <\/strong>While the coalition has set goals and key deliverables aimed at setting a good tone for treaty talks, it\u2019s unclear how or if members will support the key priorities above at the negotiation table. Canada has not directed enough (*cough hardly any) attention on reduction and reuse in its national strategy, so <a href=\"https:\/\/act.greenpeace.ca\/en-ca\/support-global-plastics-treaty?utm_campaign=plastic-globalplasticstreaty&amp;utm_source=GPCAweb&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_term=en-20221201-sign-blog&amp;utm_content=globalplasticstreaty.endageofplasticblog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>will Minister Guilbeault impress upon the delegation the importance of raising the bar on the global stage?<\/strong><\/a> That\u2019s what we need to see!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Let\u2019s do this!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p>The Global Plastics Treaty could be exactly what we need to help world leaders rethink the broken linear, economic system that fails people and the planet over and over again.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>No more images of whales with their stomachs full of plastic. No more studies revealing plastic in a new corner of human bodies. No more worries about plastic chemicals leaching into our food, or leaking into our waterways. No more overflowing blue bins.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>Greenpeace, NGOs, scientists and other specialists are at the negotiating table pushing for an ambitious treaty that matches the scale of the problem \u2013 but it is only member countries who have the final say on what makes it in. And corporations and oil lobbyists will take every opportunity to derail talks and undermine progress (if they get their way, plastic production will <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/e360.yale.edu\/features\/the-plastics-pipeline-a-surge-of-new-production-is-on-the-way\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">double within the next 10-15 years<\/a><\/strong>, and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www3.weforum.org\/docs\/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">triple by 2050<\/a><\/strong>. We will <strong><em>NOT<\/em><\/strong> let this happen).<\/p>\n\n<p>Will you stand with us and make sure our message is louder than the lobbyists? Make sure Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault knows that <strong>we want a treaty that will stop plastic pollution once and for all.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/act.greenpeace.ca\/en-ca\/support-global-plastics-treaty?utm_campaign=plastic-globalplasticstreaty&amp;utm_source=GPCAweb&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_term=en-20221201-sign-blog&amp;utm_content=globalplasticstreaty.endageofplasticblog\"><strong>Sign the petition calling for a Strong&nbsp; Plastics Treaty to turn off the plastic tap!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50 is-style-cta\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">YES! I want to see a STRONG Global Plastics Treaty!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Recycling is a false solution. We&#39;re pushing for a \u2728STRONG\u2728 Global <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PlasticsTreaty?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PlasticsTreaty<\/a> at the first round of negotiations this week.<br><br>ADD YOUR VOICE to our calls to listen to the science, NOT the fossil fuel lobbyists &gt;&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Bw6cMtFogq\">https:\/\/t.co\/Bw6cMtFogq<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PlasticFreeFuture?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PlasticFreeFuture<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Greenpeace?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Greenpeace<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vXS8k1a2Aq\">pic.twitter.com\/vXS8k1a2Aq<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Greenpeace Canada (@GreenpeaceCA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GreenpeaceCA\/status\/1597967613400944640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 30, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Negotiations to create a new Global Plastics Treaty at the UN are currently underway. \u2018Tis the season to help Minister Guilbeault and the federal government define what a truly ambitious, strong Global Plastics Treaty means \u2013\u00a0to turn off the plastic tap once and for all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":55568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"Plastic Free Future","p4_local_project":"not set","p4_basket_name":"Plastics","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[125,2,3,5],"tags":[23,24,31,71,123],"p4-page-type":[16],"class_list":["post-55563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-equality","category-live-sustainably","category-nature","category-our-work","tag-climate","tag-consumption","tag-oceans","tag-plastic","tag-racialjustice","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55563"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55632,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55563\/revisions\/55632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55563"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=55563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}