Call for treaty to end production of ‘virgin’ plastic by 2040
Scientists say a call for a global ban on the production of virgin plastic must cover the extraction of raw materials and pollution that blights the sea and land.
In a special report in the journal Science, scientists have called for a global ban on the production of new, virgin plastic and say it is the only way to control plastic pollution in the world’s oceans and on land.
8bn tonnes of plastic have been produced since the 1950s and the report’s authors say the effects can be seen everywhere.
Co-author Nils Simon said: “Plastics are ubiquitously found in increasing amounts worldwide, including in terrestrial environments and even inside the human body.”
The report calls for a new global treaty “to cover the entire lifecycle of plastics, from the extraction of the raw materials needed for its manufacture to its legacy pollution”.
