Ten state attorneys general released a letter Nov. 1 calling for the U.S. government to support a plastics treaty with "meaningful" caps on the production and use of virgin plastics and to elevate the concerns of frontline communities living around petrochemical plants.
The letter, released by New York Attorney General Letitia James, also said the treaty should not endorse chemical recycling and should prioritize reuse systems under any criteria developed for extended producer responsibility systems.
It called for the U.S. government to support the treaty having a dedicated scientific body to strengthen the agreement over time and for a multilateral fund to provide resources for substantive implementation.
The letter — also signed by attorneys general from California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont — was released a few weeks ahead of the fifth and final scheduled meeting of the treaty's Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee in South Korea.
"I applaud our nation's delegation to INC-5 for their support of a global plastics treaty that will establish meaningful caps on plastic production," James said. "I encourage the delegation to heed our additional recommendations so we can build toward a more sustainable future that protects our environment and the health of our communities."
The letter said it supported the U.S. government's change in position in the treaty talks, announced in August, to back production limits and for the agreement to develop lists of chemicals of concern in plastics and problematic plastic applications.
"The only way to meaningfully reduce plastic pollution is to implement ambitious and internationally agreed upon upstream controls on plastic production," it said. "We therefore applaud the U.S. delegation for its momentous decision to support global targets to reduce plastic production and the development of global lists of chemicals of concern and problematic plastic products for rapid phase out."
The state officials also said they wanted President Joe Biden's administration to support community groups participating in the talks who want stronger action to protect people living around plastics plants.
"We also strongly encourage the U.S. delegation to INC-5 to amplify the voices of frontline communities most harmed by plastic production," the letter said. "The U.S. delegation can help to redress these inequities and fulfill the ... administration's commitment to combat the social, economic, and public health burdens across the entire lifecycle of plastic that are disproportionately borne by environmental justice communities."