Solving plastic pollution means reducing, recycling—and fundamental rethinking.
According to a poll released on Tuesday, three in four people worldwide want single use plastics to be banned as soon as possible, as United Nations members prepare to begin talks on a global treaty to rein in soaring plastic pollution.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
Ban Single Use Plastic, say 3 in 4 people
An international poll released on Tuesday indicated that two-thirds of people favor banning single-use plastics as quickly as possible. UN members are preparing to start talks on a global treaty to combat plastic pollution as the conference gets underway.
The percentage of people calling for bans is up from 71% since 2019, while those who said they favored products with less plastic packaging rose to 82% from 75%, according to the IPSOS poll of more than 20,000 people across 28 countries.
The study was conducted among 20,513 adults under the age of 75 across 28 countries on Ipsos’s Global Advisor online platform. On average, 88% of people surveyed across 28 countries believe it is essential, very important, or fairly important to have an international treaty to combat plastic pollution. Nine in 10 (90%) Britons feel it is important to have such a treaty.
The five countries with the highest levels of agreement are Mexico (96%), Brazil (95%), Colombia (94%), and Chile and Peru (both 92%). Those with the lowest ones are Japan (70%), the US (78%), and Canada (79%).
Clear majorities of consumers in every country, and a global average of 82%, also agree they prefer products that use as little plastic packaging as possible. Those with the highest levels of agreement are China, Mexico, and Colombia, with 92% agreement, followed by Chile (90%) and Peru (87%). Again, Japan is the country with the lowest percentage agreeing (56%), followed by the US (71%) and the Netherlands (73%). In Britain, 86% agree they prefer products with as little plastic packaging as possible. Vast majorities of people in all 28 countries agree that manufacturers and retailers should take responsibility for reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic packaging, with a global average of 85%.
The article was initially published on 23rd February 2022.
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