Comment: Unless companies are pushed to report on plastic pollution, a global treaty will be dead in the water

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/comment-unless-companies-are-pushed-report-plastic-pollution-global-treaty-will-2023-11-10/

Author: Pietro Bertazzi

November 9 - 2023 has the potential to be remembered as the year the world finally woke up to the true scale of the plastic crisis. The prospect of a Global Plastics Treaty signalled a shift among governments, from seeing plastic pollution and waste as a standalone issue to recognising the pervasive risks that plastics pose for people and planet alike. Next week, representatives from nearly 200 nations will meet in Nairobi to resume negotiations for the Treaty. This could well represent our collective chance to build momentum for a Paris Agreement-like global agreement to address the elimination of plastic pollution and waste. This will only be possible if we seize the opportunity through a global policy and political agreement that has accountability at its core. This means that enshrining mandatory corporate disclosure in the final agreement will be critical.