Petition

Demand a Strong Global Plastics Treaty

224,742 signatures. Let’s get to 250K

The plastics crisis is an environmental justice and climate change catastrophe — for our physical health and the world we live in. Only swift, meaningful action will save us now. 

Each year, the world produces 350 million tons of plastic waste — more than the weight of the entire human population — with devastating effects for human and climate health. Social injustice is a part of the narrative, too: the people and communities most affected by plastic production and pollution are disproportionately the most vulnerable and least culpable. 

Delegations have committed to creating a legally binding treaty that covers the entire life cycle of plastic and centers on frontline communities — but we must speak up to ensure that they adhere to this framework and create policies that address the global plastics crisis with the urgency it demands. Research shows that such policies may include:

  • A mandate for minimum recycled content in new products

  • A limit on virgin plastic production 

  • Large investment in waste infrastructure and recycling capacity, and

  • Significant reductions in single-use packaging and additives

Fueled by the powerful oil and gas industry — which has committed hundreds of billions of dollars to expanding plastic production — consumers have been sold on a myth that recycling is a comprehensive solution. In truth, every minute, a garbage truck’s worth of plastic clogs up and pollutes the ocean, and as many as 51 trillion pieces of plastic choke every square mile of those precious waters. Still, less than 10 percent of plastics produced are actually recycled. Without action, by 2050, there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

The human consequences are equally severe. Plastic production and pollution releases vast arrays of toxic substances, increasing the risk of cancer and other devastating health issues. In production hotspots like Cancer Alley in Louisiana, which is home to over 150 petrochemical and plastic production plants, the risk of cancer from air pollution is 95 percent higher than for the rest of the country. Waste matters too, as plastic pollution many of us think floats out as ocean rubbish also ends up in the food we eat and the air we breathe. A recent study found we consume as much as five grams of plastic — an entire credit card’s worth — every week.

Plastic products, including fishing nets and line, often kill marine species · Shane Gross
The plastics crisis is a truly global issue · Shawn Heinrichs
Plastics manufacturing impacts the most vulnerable and least culpable people and communities · Goldman Environmental Prize
Without action, by 2050, there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish · Cristina Mittermeier

The plastics crisis is a truly global issue, and its causes and consequences must be comprehensively addressed across the entire life cycle — from plastic creation to end pollution. The private sector has been slow and unwilling to take meaningful action to address the crisis, and so national governments must work together to enact meaningful, global regulations and commitments to address this catastrophe.

Call on world leaders to adopt a strong Global Plastics Treaty. We’ll keep you up-to-date as negotiations progress.

Latest update: Our petition was updated on Jan. 19, 2024 to reflect new research from the Universities of California Santa Barbara and Berkeley, which showed that certain policies included in the potential treaty options are absolutely critical to achieving a meaningful impact on plastic pollution to the environment. 221,407 signatures were carried over from the initial petition.

Supporters
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Gail C

we humans are destroying the world around us, on which we and all life depend.

1 day ago
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Murad H

I am signing because plastic pollution harms ecosystems. We need global action now!

4 days ago
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Des A

i want to LIIIIIIVEEEE AND ALL THE ANIMALS!!!!

4 days ago
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emma W

i care

4 days ago
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Gail T

I am signing this petition because I love the greatness of my planet, the diversity of it, and the giving of it, which I receive every day. In return,…

5 days ago
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María Carolina F

i love animals and the planet, im from argentina and it breaks my heart to see what the world is going through...I am really sorry I wish I could do m…

1 week ago
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Louise P

working in a marine environment i see the damage that plastic is doing to the environment and it needs to be stopped.

1 week ago
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des d

I am signing because we are loosing marine diversity at an extremely rapid pace, which could lead to total ecosystem collapse. Des o Doherty

2 weeks ago
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Parish K

I am signing because I believe in preserving and sustaining cleaner oceans

2 weeks ago
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brenda c

cambias los ecosistemas traen una gran consecuencia a todos en el planeta, tienen que entender que dañar algo unico solo atrae mas daño a todos: efect…

2 weeks ago
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Jacquelyn S

Humans are poisoning the ocean & everything in it! Atrocious 😢

2 weeks ago
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Jack O

I an signing because we must stop polluting the oceans with plastic waste.

3 weeks ago
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Yenssi R

i believe in this cause

4 weeks ago
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Yvonne B

I love Mother Earth and she doesn't deserve the way we are treating her. stop with the plastic

4 weeks ago
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Helene K

there is still too many single use plastic items!

4 weeks ago
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Lisa N

we need to be protecting the ocean and all thr animals in the ocean.

1 month ago
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Guillaume D

Plastic is a big problem for all species

1 month ago
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Temarii, Mickaël S

nous avons le devoir de protéger l'environnement avant que le monde nous détruits

1 month ago
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Daphne M

plastic is destroyingcthe ecosystem on land and in our oceans and rivers.

1 month ago
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Brad M

We need to protect our oceans.

1 month ago
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Samantha A

our oceans need help.

1 month ago
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Dianne B

I want to protect all of our oceans!

1 month ago
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Ojaldoa Oxiama Z

urgently Climate Action Now

1 month ago
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Louise V

I care about our planet

1 month ago
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Chanelle C

its vital

1 month ago
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