How the Plastics Industry Invaded the UN’s “Plastic Free” Conference

When ProPublica environment reporter Lisa Song attended this “plastic free” United Nations conference in April, where plastics treaty negotiations were taking place, she didn’t even get a see-through sleeve for her nametag. She’d have to reuse an old lanyard, they told her.
After all, representatives from roughly 170 countries were gathering to tackle a crisis: The world churns out 400 million metric tons of plastic a year.
But as the conference progressed, Song came to understand just how hard it would be for attendees to achieve any meaningful action on the world’s plastic pollution crisis. In fact, some attendees didn’t think there was anything wrong with plastic at all. Watch Song walk us through some shocking pro-plastic ads she saw at this “plastic free” UN conference.
Read our full story at: propub.li/3ziG6e2
plastic, plastics, microplastics, plasticpollution, plasticfree, plastictreaty, environment, environmentalissues, unitednations
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[@EvolutionWendy]

Her point is that the plastics industry was smearing misinformation, switching over to hemp as irrelevant to this current discussion

[@DearProfessorRF]

Exactly

[@DearProfessorRF]

We don’t need plastics to reduce foot waste, but change the ridiculous food production system that leads to food waste. We don’t need plastic bottles to distribute water to needed regions of the world just like they were not needed before this craziness began. Plastics save lives? How hyperbolic, plus it’s killing the planet beyond the hospital room.

[@isaiahlangfords5574]

if you dont wa t plastics destroying the planet stop recycling them... 80% of all recycled plastic goes to china where it is dumped i. the ocean or burned if you throw it in the trash it goes to a land fill where it is buried and sometimes burned you dont helb by recycling its actually worse for the environment you guys are literally your own worst enemy

[@davidmenasco5743]

It's a good illustration of how wealthy companies can use their money to defend their privileges. Those petrodollars don't just buy advertising. They buy a lot more!

[@heidi9547]

Hemp can replace all plastics.

[@sexywarriorwomen]

Can they replace all plastics though? I’m actually curious.

[@johnday1216]

Plastic is made of oil .

[@sexywarriorwomen]

Only the medical one has any validity! Lol

[@MA-yv8dw]

❤❤❤GLASS GLASS

[@christinasornbutnark1208]

Shame on Big plastic & EVERY LOBBYIST THAT HAS EVER EXISTED!😊

[@isaiahlangfords5574]

the same people that go to these conferences fly on a private jet and get mad that your car isnt an EV (which is primarily made of lithium *mined by children* or plastic

[@jordanwright2030]

Is your mic and camera made with plastic?

[@ripztubig4457]

Not single use plastic that is meant to be used once and thrown away like plastic bottles, packaging, plates or cups, shipping insulation and packaging. It's disingenuous to say that her microphone or camera are what is polluting the planet. Your "gotcha" isn't the own you think it is.

[@sexywarriorwomen]

Probably. But try to find one without it. That’s the thing. People need to make viable options to replace these things. The micro plastics in testi cles, breastmilk, and crossing the blood brain barrier is very concerning.

[@ripztubig4457]

@@jordanwright2030 it's not a single use plastic that you throw away after one use; like plates, cups, packaging, etc. Those are what are filling landfills and the ocean at catastrophic rates. Not cameras made for reuse.

[@omarg4075]

different plastics do different jobs...nothing can replace plastics...dirt, wood, glass, metal, plastic...so what do you want thing to be made from...then she removed all plastic from her life and no place to live or anything to wear or anything to eat....that is where plastic removal will end.. it is here to stay

[@davidmenasco5743]

There are viable alternatives for many applications. Of course, plastic is not going to disappear any time soon. But there are good reasons to reduce our dependence on both fossil fuels and petroleum based plastics. The human race existed for over a hundred thousand years without any petroleum products. If plastic did disappear, we would find other ways to do the things we need to do. Problem solving is what people do.

[@margaretwordnerd5210]

If you say nothing replaces petrochemical plastics, you may as well say you are uninformed. We don't have ideal substitutes for ALL plastics, but we have workable alternatives for many necessary plastics and most companies are doing NOTHING to reduce plastic waste that isn't even needful. I hope we always have enough plastics for medical use. I also hope this planet is still fit for human life for at least a few more centuries. Our parents gave us a garden to live in, and we're going to give our kids a toxic waste dump.

[@jeffreyhei7038]

Sure, but if all those policies they promote actually passed it could happen