US supports global target to cut plastic production

The U.S. will support a global goal to cut plastic production, a change from its earlier support for leaving it up to each country. 

The shift in U.S. policy was first reported by Reuters. State Department spokesperson Wren Elhai confirmed to The Hill on Thursday that Reuters’s reporting was accurate, but did not provide additional details. 

Nations are slated to meet later this year with the goal of finalizing the first-ever plastics treaty. 

Some countries, including China, Russia and Saudi Arabia, have pushed back against efforts to limit plastic production. 

Minuscule plastic pieces known as microplastics have become omnipresent in the environment. Research on cells and animals has demonstrated that microplastics can impact the digestive, respiratory, endocrine, reproductive and immune systems. A study published earlier this year linked microplastic and tinier nanoplastic exposure to heart attacks, strokes and death. 

U.S. plastic manufacturers condemned the new U.S. position. 

“With this decision, the White House has turned its back on Americans whose livelihoods depend on our industry, as well as on manufacturers in all sectors that rely on plastic materials,” said Matt Seaholm, president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association, in a written statement. 

But environmental advocates praised the move. 

“Making less plastic is the number one way to protect people and the planet from this stuff,” said Julie Teel Simmonds, a senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a written statement. “I look forward to seeing U.S. delegates fight for these positions.”