Responsibilities of Plastic Producers

Research proves the impact of plastic pollution on the environment. Microplastics are already contaminating bottled drinking water.

AFP/PETER PARKS

A sign in a restaurant states that they will not provide single-use plastic utensils to customers in Hong Kong on Monday (22/4/2024).

The Hong Kong government has banned packaging and cutlery made from plastic. The seriousness of this policy is questionable because China is the largest plastic producer in the world.

Kompas.id reported that on Earth Day, April 22, 2024, the Government of Hong Kong, China, gave its citizens, especially restaurants, six months to adapt and switch to environmentally friendly packaging. This ban comes following the enactment of a law in October 2023.

AP/CHANNI ANAND

Garbage trucks unload plastic and other rubbish on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Monday (22/4/2024).

Also read: Hong Kong Implements Plastic Packaging Free Rule

Hong Kong, a densely populated southern Chinese territory with 7.4 million inhabitants, lacks adequate infrastructure and facilities to manage waste. Overall, Hong Kong produces an average of 4 million tons of waste annually, with plastics being the second most produced.

We certainly support China's special administrative region policy to reduce the increasingly uncontrollable plastic waste. Various studies have already proven the impact of plastic pollution on the environment. Microplastics have even contaminated packaged drinking water.

The issue of plastic is not only happening in Hong Kong, but also globally, including in Indonesia. However, without a solution to limit its production, the plastic problem will never be resolved. Based on 2022 data from Statista, China is recorded as the largest plastic producer at 32 percent, followed by North America at 17 percent and the European Union at 14 percent.

Several countries have committed to reducing the use and production of plastic. In Indonesia, waste management laws and regional regulations have been established to limit the use of plastic.

Along with the news from Hong Kong, Reuters reports that global leaders are gathering in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, this week to discuss progress in drafting the first global agreement to control the surge of plastic pollution.

AP/THE CANADIAN PRESS/SPENCER COLBY

Residents demonstrate to urge an end to the use of plastic, in Ottawa, Canada, Sunday (21/4/2024).

Also read: The Return of the Environmentally Friendly Shopping Bag Campaign

This agreement aims to address the issue of plastic throughout its entire life cycle, from production to usage to disposal. Most plastic is pure petroleum-based. Many petrochemical and plastic-producing countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China, oppose restrictions on plastic production. These producing countries hinder other nations that call for limitations on plastic production.

Meanwhile, 60 countries in the "High Ambition Coalition," such as the European Union, island nations, and Japan, aim to end plastic pollution by 2040. The United States also aims to end plastic pollution by 2040, but through its own mechanisms within the United Nations.

We hope that this Ottawa meeting can achieve an agreement to comprehensively stop plastic pollution. We also await the responsibility of plastic-producing countries to limit their plastic production.