WASHINGTON, DC (September 22, 2023)–In response to the U.S. Department of State’s launch of the End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative (EPPIC), John Hocevar, Greenpeace USA’s Oceans Campaign Director, said: “The State Department acknowledges what we all know to be true, that the plastic pollution crisis impacts our biodiversity, health, food security, and economies. But they still refuse to take action on the scale this crisis demands. Initiatives like EPPIC, which primarily focus on making the full lifecycle of plastics “more sustainable,” fail to address one critical root of the problem – plastic is toxic. $15 million is a raindrop falling into the ocean compared to the cost of plastic to our health. Single-use plastic needs to go the way of ozone-destroying CFCs, asbestos, and DDT. The only real solution to tackling the plastic pollution crisis is to stop making so much of it in the first place. Instead of investing in false and inadequate solutions favored by oil and gas front groups like the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the State Department and the Biden administration should be developing solutions that prioritize the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. This includes supporting a strong Global Plastics Treaty that reduces production and provides a just transition for frontline communities.”
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Contact: Tanya Brooks, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, P: 703-342-9226, E: [email protected]
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
