G7 countries want to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040

G7 countries pledge to end plastic pollution in their countries by 2040. G7 climate and environment ministers agreed Sunday in Tokyo, where a group of Western economic powers will meet later this week.

Last year, Germany, France, Canada, the UK and the European Union already expressed their ambition to curb plastic pollution. Now, for the first time, they have also included an intended end date. According to the G7 report, the phase-out of plastics must be achieved through the use of more sustainable materials.

In the past twenty years, plastic waste has doubled worldwide, and according to the OECD, only 9 percent of it is recyclable. The United Nations fears that plastic pollution in the ocean will triple again by 2040.

G7 countries also want to phase out fossil fuels sooner, but have not come up with an end date for that goal. The French minister was keen to do so and even mentioned 2030 as a target, but Japan and the US resisted. Because of the current energy crisis, they don’t want to commit themselves to a year that is so close.

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