Photo/Illutration Plastic and other waste drift in waters off Bali, Indonesia, in December 2018. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Global negotiations to draw up an international agreement to address plastic pollution ravaging marine life are making little headway due to wide differences among countries over some key issues.

Japan can, and must, play an active role in helping to formulate an agreement while ramping up its own efforts to reduce plastic waste.

Nations attending a U.N. Environment Assembly meeting two years ago agreed to create a legally binding treaty by the end of this year.

A pivotal session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution held toward this goal in Canada in April aimed to speed up the drafting of a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution.

Instead, the meeting underscored the complexity of the negotiations due to diverse interests and perspectives among the countries concerned.

The session ended with a decision to hold another expert gathering this summer, ahead of the INC meeting at the end of the year, to finalize the treaty text.

The core question is what part of the plastic lifecycle to regulate: the production stage to disposal.

European, African and island nations back limits on production, while oil-producing countries and China oppose this approach. Japan argues for better waste reduction measures like reuse and recycling based on the realty each country faces, instead of imposing uniform production restrictions.

Japan has played a notable role in reducing plastic waste. At the Group of 20 summit in Osaka in 2019, the “Osaka Blue Ocean Vision” was announced with the goal of eliminating “additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by the year 2050.” Last year’s Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima set a target of reducing “additional plastic pollution to zero by 2040.”

As a developed country that produces mountains of plastic waste, Japan bears a heavy responsibility for contributing to the cause. Japan should make its presence felt by advocating ambitious goals to regulate production, curb consumption and expand financial and technical support.

Leaving too much to individual countries’ decisions based on their unique circumstances can lead to self-serving opportunism that undermines collective effort.

Plastic is a hugely convenient material, but it doesn't decompose when it is thrown away. The problem of global plastic pollution will continue to grow unless something is done.

There is growing concern about the harm to wildlife, the impact on fisheries and health risks from hazardous additives in microscopic plastic particles absorbed into the human body.

Research by U.S. universities and environmental groups indicates that products from 56 companies account for half of the plastic waste discarded outdoors worldwide.

Companies worldwide are beginning to act, and last year in Japan, 10 companies from the food and daily goods sectors initiated the Japan Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, calling on the government to pursue a “legally binding, ambitious treaty.”

Companies risk being left out of the global market if they are seen as unwilling to take steps to protect the health of the planet.

Since Japan introduced mandatory charges to customers for each single-use plastic bag taken from retail stores, it has become common for shoppers to place items they purchased into their own bags.

Although the reduction in plastic consumption through this measure is small, it demonstrates that people’s behavior can change. It is vital to increase the options for not using plastic products.

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, including plastics, represent a triple crisis for the environment. Plastics, which are derived from oil, are linked to climate change, and waste pollution affects biodiversity.

Regarding climate change and biodiversity, countries that are parties to related treaties have reached agreements over the years through negotiations.

To make steady progress in solving the plastic waste problem, a robust and proactive treaty is necessary.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 31

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