Change is an inherently disruptive process and the upcoming UN treaty on plastic pollution promises urgent, profound and global change on an unprecedented scale. History shows us that it is the poorest and most marginalised members of society who suffer most from such disruption, so what does this mean for the 20 million waste pickers […]
Read more
To manage plastic waste the UN plastics treaty must be able to measure it, but are current systems for tracking the global trade of plastic trash and the polluting chemicals it contains up to the job? In the first of a new series of blogs, Shashi Kant Yadav explains why the devil is in the […]
Read more
In its rush to introduce a single-use plastic ban India risks creating legislation that covers only a tiny proportion of polluting products and penalises small enterprises whilst leaving big business unscathed. Governing Plastics Network researcher Shashi Kant Yadav argues that to make a difference legislation in developing countries must address plastic not as a product […]
Read more
As the world’s fourth-largest producer of plastic waste, Brazil faces an uphill battle, with only an estimated 1.28% of the 11.4 million tons of waste it produces annually being recycled. In partnership with the University of Surrey and Wollongong, researchers from the University of São Paulo, in Brazil, have released a new web documentary looking […]
Read more
Introduction – The Call for Global Plastic Treaty Yesterday in Nairobi the Fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) accepted a proposal from Rwanda and Peru for a historic treaty aiming to turn the tide on plastic pollution. However, this was not the only proposal on the table. With powerful industrial interests lobbying behind […]
Read more
The Proposal The United National Environment Assembly is meeting today to decide between two rival proposals for the first global, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. The current front-runner is a joint proposal tabled by Rwanda and Peru, but what will this treaty mean for the world if successfully adopted? Irene Maithya of Moi University, […]
Read more
1