According to The Associated Press, countries are at a standstill over a UN treaty on plastic pollution.
The treaty, which aims to tackle global plastic pollution, hit a hurdle as negotiators couldn’t get past the question of whether it should cut all plastic on the planet while requiring mandatory controls on toxic chemicals used in the used for its manufacture. of plastics, according to the AP.
Treaty negotiations took place in Busan, South Korea, last week, and on Monday negotiators agreed to more talks in the following year, the AP reported.
More than 100 countries hoped the plastics treaty would reduce production and tackle cleaning and recycling, with some previously saying there is a need to focus on specific chemicals, which the AP said clashed with the wishes of countries that make plastic.
A study from earlier this year found that five companies are responsible for a quarter of the world’s plastic waste. According to researchers, eleven percent of global branded plastic pollution came from Coca-Cola alone. Other major producers included PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone and Altria.
One notable obstacle countries have faced in their efforts to bring together the plastics treaty is the requirement for agreement among all countries on proposals that will become part of it, the AP said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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