The air and the sea, the most global elements there are. The plastic bottle that winds up in the Gulf of Mexico can easily reach any coastal country, even one where there’s a ban on the use of plastic containers. Or worse, that same bottle can end up in the belly of marine mammals that populate the oceans, endangering biodiversity to the detriment of the entire planet - even those countries with severe restrictions on the use of plastic. So it’s a global problem, and no national initiative can solve it. Decisions must be made on an international level to establish the highest possible standardization of regulations that apply to all countries: it’s the only way to effectively bring pollution into check.
To explore attitudes on this issue, Ipsos conducted a survey in 28 countries. Findings show that according to nearly 90% of public opinion, only by introducing an internationally binding treaty can plastic pollution be curbed.
Limiting plastic in single-use products and packaging would guarantee lower levels of pollution because fewer plastics would be in circulation. But this wouldn’t be the solution to the problem, it would only contain it. The war on plastic has already been declared by the EU, which in recent years has opted to do battle by approving a series of bans for member states, for example prohibiting single-use cutlery and many other single-use products. And this war also seems to have won over consumer awareness. Case in point: in all the countries surveyed, an average of 82% of respondents say they want to buy products with less plastic in the packaging. What’s more, 80% believe that manufacturers and retailers should be proactive in reducing, reusing and recycling plastic packaging.