UNEP discusses changing plastics used in Food and Beverage Industry

Over the years, our plastic use has evolved in many ways. Along with that, the issue of plastic pollution has also escalated. One of the biggest industries using plastics for their products and excetra is the food and beverage industry. The low costs of using plastic containers instead of reusable containers is one of the main reasons why plastics are heavily used to contain food and bevarages. UNEP therefore started the first council meeting on Day 2 by discussing the types of plastics countries could use instead of using plastics that cannot be recycled easily.

The delegates were initially hesitant to suggest ideas but Australia took the lead by suggesting that they can start off easy by using semi-plastics for the containers as it would be less impactful on the environment. Egypt did raise a concern that low-income countries could not risk getting rid of plastics as it affects their economy due to how easily obtainable they are. Pakistan agreed with Egypt and added that getting rid of plastics can cause all the plastic to end up accumulating in waste landfills, which is burdensome for small countries.

On top of that, the US raised a question on what type of plastics could be used to help reduce plastic pollution as most plastics have long term effects on the environment. Australia quickly addressed it by saying they could use biodegradable plastics and environmentally friendly materials like banana leaves, to contain foods. However, China raised a few concerns. Firstly, banana leaves may not be user-friendly for all types of food, making it harder to contain all foods. Secondly, it would be hard to obtain large amounts of banana leaves as banana trees cannot grow in all types of climates, thus making it impractical for all countries to adopt this solution. Pakistan agreed with China’s concern. In hopes to provide a solution, the Philippines suggested that they use wooden containers with around 20% plastic lining on the inside of the containers to suit all situations. However, the Philippines' suggestion was not well received by the other nations, as too much of wood used for industrialization purposes could result in deforestation, defying the idea of helping the environment.

As the different countries argue to find a suitable solution for everyone, this shows that finding the right solution is not as easy as it might seem, due to varying reasons regarding the feasibility of specific solutions. Seeing this, we should appreciate how much work UNEP has been putting in to find a solution that is suitable and beneficial for everyone without causing too much hassle. UNEP subsequently moved on to education in public and in schools.