Picnic season has began, and so has Plastic Free July! All around the globe, individuals are taking over the month-long problem to keep away from as a lot single-use plastics as doable. With greater than 170 million individuals yearly, it’s clear that individuals are motivated to dodge plastic and search alternate options. Nevertheless, regardless of finest efforts, it’s extraordinarily exhausting for most individuals to keep away from plastic merchandise and packaging, so we have to shift the system, and meaning urging governments to finish the age of plastic as soon as and for all!
Let’s be sincere, we aren’t liable for the billions of single-use plastic gadgets pumped into our lives every week. Plastic is in every single place – within the air we breathe, the water we drink, the meals we eat and the garments we put on. We ingest concerning the equal of a bank card of microplastics each week, and these tiny particles of plastic have discovered their option to our blood and brains. Scientists are solely starting to grasp the long-term results of plastics on our well being, however lots of the chemical compounds current in plastic are linked to severe well being points reminiscent of endocrine disruption, insulin resistance, decreased reproductive well being, and most cancers.
That’s the reason this Plastic Free July, we’re demanding motion from firms and governments. We’d like corporations to part out single-use plastics, cease utilizing dangerous chemical compounds, and roll out accessible reuse and refill methods. Companies throughout Canada and the world are championing this alteration, however the largest plastic polluters nonetheless want the most important push. Coca-Cola, producing greater than 110 billion plastic bottles a yr and being the primary polluter of branded plastic discovered within the surroundings, lately ditched its aim to extend reusable packaging to 25% of the corporate’s gross sales by 2030. And in the meantime, different main international manufacturers have stalled out and even regressed on commitments that have been weak to start with.
Individuals are calling for daring motion on plastic air pollution: over 70% of Canadians are in favor of slicing plastic manufacturing, whereas as many as 8 out of 10 help a transition away from single-use plastic packaging to reusable and refillable packaging. Almost 90% need the federal authorities to get poisonous chemical compounds out of plastic merchandise, and greater than 8 out of 10 help Canada-wide motion on plastic air pollution.
As Canada is getting ready for the final spherical of negotiations for a World Plastics Treaty in Geneva, Switzerland, subsequent month, we hope that our voices are being heard: we want a treaty that cuts manufacturing, phases out single-use plastics, eliminates dangerous chemical compounds and merchandise, and advances reuse-based options whereas centering human rights and respecting Indigenous Rights and Information. It is a once-in-a-generation alternative to cease plastic air pollution and shield our well being, our rights, our communities, our biodiversity and our local weather. Let’s not waste it.
We have now the answer to plastic air pollution: turning off the plastic faucet and rushing up a shift to a more healthy, reuse-based future. Final month, a examine discovered that plastic bag insurance policies can lead as much as 47% discount of bag litter on shorelines. A 50% enhance in refillables in coastal nations may cut back the variety of waste PET bottles getting into the ocean by 86%. Main manufacturers and grocery store chains are coming collectively to check a city-wide reuse system in Ottawa, providing hope for extra accessible reuse options. And these are just some examples that assist us envision a plastic-free future for all. However to make that actuality, we want a powerful World Plastics Treaty. So this Plastic Free July, let’s name on the Canadian authorities to safe a powerful treaty that can assist us to reside sustainably… every single day of the yr!
Inform Canada to help a powerful World Plastics Treaty
If world leaders get it proper, a powerful World Plastics Treaty has the potential to finish the age of plastic – for good. Be a part of the marketing campaign now!
