A raft of major business leaders has called for mandatory global rules over product design to boost recycling.
Hein Schumacher and Ramon Laguarta, chief executives of Unilever and PepsiCo respectively, were among 22 key figures to sign an open letter to governments around the world over the issue.
It was published ahead of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) in Korea later this month.
The business chiefs, members of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, said “binding rules” would be good for governments, businesses and the environment.
They called for agreement at INC-5 over four key issues including “sector-specific approaches and global criteria for circular product design of plastic products such as packaging”.
Common definitions and key principles should be agreed for the effective implementation of extended producer responsibility schemes, the letter added.
“It is clear that voluntary efforts alone are not enough to address plastic pollution at scale,” the business chiefs wrote.
“We stand ready to work together with policymakers across the world on this critical task. There is no time to waste. INC-5 presents a critical opportunity that we cannot afford to miss.”
