About the author
Chief Executive Officer
Hein was appointed Chief Executive Officer in July 2023. As CEO of Unilever, Hein is responsible for leading one of the world’s largest and most geographically diverse consumer goods businesses, with presence in 190 countries, serving 3.4 billion people every day.
Urgent action is required to end plastic pollution. The current life cycle of plastic is still primarily linear (take, make, throw away) and the statistics from the OECD are telling: From 2000 to 2019, plastic production and waste have more than doubled, while only 9% of plastic is ultimately recycled.
OECD data also shows that the amount of plastic waste produced is on track to almost triple by 2060, with around half ending up in landfill and less than a fifth recycled. Greenhouse gas emissions from the plastic system could further increase by 63% by 2040, a trajectory that is incompatible with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Packaging accounts for around a third of global plastic use. Unilever recognizes that it is part of the problem. Much of our plastic packaging ends up in the environment.
We and others have supported this challenge through voluntary initiatives such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Global Commitment. This has not solved the problem, far from it.
Business signatories have significantly outperformed their peers in the fight against plastic waste. It shows that a concerted effort can bring about change, but not on the scale needed. With only 20% of the industry signed, it is clearly an insufficient response to the magnitude of the challenge.
Voluntary initiatives are not enough, that is clear. More interventions are needed throughout the plastics value chain, both in initial production and waste management. Voluntary initiatives also distort the market, too often reducing the competitiveness of those who take action. We need stricter and harmonized regulations to put everyone on the path to eliminating plastic waste and pollution.
A legally binding treaty is a critical opportunity to achieve this, helping us avoid a patchwork of disconnected national efforts and create a level playing field in the global economy. To support the treaty, Unilever helped create the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty Give confidence to Member State negotiators that companies and financial institutions recognize the importance of regulation to end plastic pollution.
Voluntary corporate action alone is not enough; we are asking for stronger rules and harmonised regulations across the full plastic life cycle.
Hein Schumacher, CEO, Unilever
The Business Coalition calls for a treaty that focuses on the reduction, circulation and prevention of plastic waste. A comprehensive treaty that addresses the entire life cycle of plastics and not just subsequent recycling or waste management.
Companies respond to regulatory certainty. A coherent legal framework will clarify what actions we should take for companies like ours, where we should focus on the short term and invest in the long term. And we will do it knowing that everyone plays by the same rules.
We welcome businesses and organizations that share this vision to join the Business Coalition and rally behind our treaty vision. A shared voice is a strong voice.
Accelerate plastics policy
The latest round of negotiations on the plastics treaty ended in disappointment. Despite the best efforts of most member states calling for an ambitious and effective treaty, there was a proliferation of alternative text proposals seeking to limit the scope of the treaty to downstream waste management measures only. But it is a simple statement of fact that we will not solve the challenge of plastic pollution without addressing the entire life cycle of plastics.
It is also disappointing that no intersessional work has been agreed upon, risking delays in the negotiation process - delays that we cannot afford. Member States should carry out further (informal) consultations before the next round of negotiations at the United Nations Environment Program meeting. fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meeting in April 2024.
Members of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty are ready to help in any way we can. We have a lot of experience about what works (and what doesn't) through our voluntary initiatives and experiences with various national laws and regulations. These include critical policy areas such as global product design rules, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and reusable and refillable packaging systems.
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting provides a platform for these discussions. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to solve this problem, so let's seize that opportunity.
This blog was first published on the World Economic Forum website on January 11, 2024.
The opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and not those of the World Economic Forum.
The photo is of a 30-foot sculpture titled "Turn Off the Plastic Faucet" by Canadian artist Benjamin von Wong, made from plastic waste from Nairobi's Kibera slum.
