In our previous article, we discussed the life cycle assessments as a tool for gauging the environmental impact of products, services, and operations. Among the items frequently scrutinized for their significant environmental impact throughout their life cycle is plastic, despite its widespread use by businesses. Plastic pollution is known to be detrimental to the planet’s health and in this article, we drill down the harmful effects of various types of plastics, emphasizing the crucial role of international cooperation in addressing and mitigating this pressing issue.

UNEA-6 or the UN Environment Assembly, the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, focused on sustainable multilateral actions to tackle the triple planetary crisis – climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste in this year’s global meeting held in Kenya. Plastics was a cause of concern in the discussion as plastic continues to grow as a source of industrial greenhouse gases (GHG) worldwide. The lifecycle of plastics is expected to account for up to 19% of global GHG emissions by 2040. Additionally, plastic litter comprises 85% of marine waste, while the production, usage, and disposal of plastics collectively contribute approximately 4% to the total global greenhouse gas emissions (UNFCCC, 2024). Experts emphasize the urgent necessity for a transformative shift in the global economy to mitigate the existential threats posed to both nature and humankind by plastics.

Canada has been assertive in its approach to address plastic pollution. In 2022, the nations participating in UNEA committed to ending plastic pollution and pledged to establish an international legally binding agreement by the end of 2024. As host countries of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process, Canada, Uruguay, France, Kenya, and the Republic of Korea have joined forces, recognizing the importance of the endeavor and the urgency to mobilize efforts towards drafting an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. Canada so far has been proactive in collaborating with other nations to devise effective strategies and solutions to address the challenge through active participation in discussions at the High Ambition Coalition on Plastic Pollution Ministerial. The fourth session of the INC will be held in Ottawa this April, focused on crafting the global agreement on plastic pollution (Canada.ca, 2024).

Without a doubt, international collaboration may be necessary because of plastic pollution’s large-scale contribution to our planetary crisis. Before we go into what international cooperation can contribute to this crisis, let’s look at some of these problematic plastics.

I. The Problematic Plastics

Plastics have several uses from packaging consumer goods to manufacturing of construction materials. However, despite their utility in our daily lives, they are also capable of endangering our source of life – the earth. Plastics that damage natural resources, ecosystems, and organisms are those that we should avoid as these contribute to pollution, climate change, and threat to life (Plastic Education, 2023). These are the types of plastics that we must watch out for:

1. Designed for one-time use

Single-use plastics come from a variety of plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). These are used for plastic bags, straws, cutlery, and bottles. They accumulate quickly due to their short lifespan and often find their way into landfills, where they degrade over an extended period.

2. Comprises of toxic substances

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), commonly known as "vinyl," is infamous for both its manufacturing process and disposal methods. During PVC production, harmful toxins like chlorine gas are emitted, leading to the formation of dioxins, which are classified as persistent organic pollutants. PVC-made products such as water pipes, flooring, and non-food packaging can also contain hazardous additives like phthalates, which have the potential to leach out over time.

3. Disintegrate into microplastics

Microplastics are made of tiny particles that originated from the decomposition of larger plastic items or microbeads that are produced. These are particularly harmful to marine life as these can be ingested and climb up the food chain as well as absorbed by humans through consumption from water bottles and dermatologic products.

4. Challenging to recycle or not recyclable

Polystyrene or Styrofoam is a light and white plastic used to support delicate objects to protect from any damage or as a container to prevent from losing heat. These are used for protecting appliances, as coffee cups, and take-out food containers. The issue with polystyrene is that it lasts a century before it decomposes and cannot be recycled. When they are burned, they can also release toxic styrene gas.

The challenge with unrecyclable plastics is that they are usually disposed in landfills which can cause environmental damage and health concerns. Figure 1 depicts a chart of the world’s disposal method as of 2019.

Global Plastic Waste by Disposal Method — Source: Annual Plastic Waste by Disposal Method (Our World in Data, 2023).

5. Susceptible to wildlife ingestion or entanglement

Polyethylene is a thin and soft plastic that is used for shopping bags, bottles, and containers and are haphazardly tossed out in the environment and in the ocean. Polyethylene also does not degrade easily so wildlife can ingest and become entangled when they encounter them.

II. Importance of International Cooperation

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of collaboration to solve the climate crisis. He mentioned that “fuels – the more plastic we produce, the more fossil fuel we burn and the worse we make the climate crisis. We must work as one – governments, companies, and consumers alike – to break our addiction to plastics, champion zero waste, and build a truly circular economy” (UNEP, 2023). International cooperation is essential to solving plastic pollution in several ways:

The global integration of supply chains is an undeniable fact. Manufacturing takes place in countries like Vietnam, China, and Bangladesh, while distribution spans across various global regions. The aftermath of this process is realized in the form of plastic waste littering the Pacific coasts. Cooperation among all nations is essential to tackle plastic pollution effectively, given that it knows no borders.
Large-scale coordination and pooled resources can speed up the reduction of damage to human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals and wastes brought by plastics. With more hands and more minds, mitigating plastic pollution becomes more achievable.
Sharing of expertise and knowledge can allow countries to foster more effective solutions and advance the decline of plastic pollution. The Clean Nordic Oceans is an example of a project that was established between Norway, Denmark, and Sweden for knowledge acquisition and sharing of solutions to reduce the risk of ghost fishing and marine litter in the Nordic seas. The project has published a full report of recommendations to address the issues based on geographical and policy observations across the Nordic countries.
Harmonization of standards and regulations to ensure consistency in approaches to managing plastic pollution and avoid pollution leakage. The EU REACH, a regulation adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from exposure to chemical risks, has incorporated a ban on microplastics intentionally added to products and being sold within the EU. This ban is expected to avert the release of approximately half a million tonnes of microplastics into the environment triggering a positive impact to human health and wildlife.

Understanding the different types of plastics and its environmental impact is vital to addressing the issue of plastic pollution. This allows us to become more conscious of our consumption and habits and explore different approaches to dealing with plastic. Of course, international cooperation is also essential to implementing effective strategies to ending plastic waste on a wider scale. By working together across borders and industries, we can develop innovative solutions, draft policies to tackle plastic pollution and therefore, create a cleaner, healthier planet for future generations.