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Industry groups are reacting negatively to reports that the United States has announced its support for an international treaty calling for the reduction of new plastic production.
In a statementMatt Seehold, president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association, said the Biden-Harris administration’s decision “turned its back” on residents who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.
“The plastics industry is the seventh largest manufacturing industry in the United States, employing 1 million people. With this decision, the White House has turned its back not only on the Americans whose livelihoods depend on our industry, but also on manufacturers across the board who rely on plastic materials,” he said.
“The White House’s misguided policy shift in support of plastics production caps is not only unrealistic, it will directly harm all American manufacturers and will not get us any closer to achieving our shared environmental goals,” he said.
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Workers use brooms to sort unsorted recyclable materials, including polyethylene terephthalate bottles, steel cans, and aluminum cans. (Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
Reuters first reported the news. The new US stance on plastics was revealed by sources close to U.S. negotiators.
Various countries are set to meet this year to finalise the first plastics treaty, the media reported, with talks expected to reach a final stage at a summit in Busan, South Korea, in November.
Some countries, including China, Russia and Saudi Arabia, oppose efforts to limit and phase out plastic production.
The Biden administration supports global goals to reduce plastic production. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/File)
The United States is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of plastics, and the White House briefed officials on Wednesday on the change in position to “increase ambition,” the official said.
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The American Chemistry Council said the change in policy showed the Biden administration was “giving in” to the demands of environmental groups.
People who carry items in disposable plastic bags, which are banned in at least 12 states. (iStock)
The group supports an international treaty on plastics but does not support any caps on emissions or proposed lists of chemicals that should be controlled.
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“With today’s shift in position to support caps on plastic production and regulate chemicals through the UN Plastics Compact, the White House has demonstrated it is prepared to betray American manufacturing and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it supports,” ACC president Chris Jahn told the outlet.
Fox News Digital has reached out to ACC and the White House for comment.
