Resources

In 2021, more than 1,000 volunteers in 19 states across India conducted brand audits to hold corporate polluters accountable for their indiscriminate use of single-use plastic packaging. Brand audits are conducted annually by members of the ‘Break Free From Plastic’ movement across the globe.

Indoor/home brand audits on behalf of Fronteras Comunes in 5 locations Cárdenas, Tabasco; Tlanepantla, Estado de México;
y 3 Alcaldías de la Ciudad de México: Azcapotzalco, Benito Juárez, Tlahúac

The audits reveals what specific plastic products that pollutes the Danish environment, as well as the producers that are behind the plastic products. The audits in Denmark were conducted by the environmental NGO Plastic Change in collaboration with volunteers around the country. The collected and analyzed data are furthermore part of the global Brand Audit from Break Free From Plastic, which reveals the top corporate plastic polluters in the world.

Austin's 168 volunteers got involved in TrashBlitz because they noticed an increase in trash on the streets of their city and wanted to find out why. TrashBlitz is a community-based initiative that utilizes a network of NGOs, volunteers, and local projects
to collect data that can be used to support better policies around plastic production, usage, and disposal.

Plastic contains toxic chemicals that leach into our food, water, and soil. Out of about 10,000 chemicals used as plastic additives, few have been widely studied, let alone regulated. A treaty must address plastic’s toxic burden.

Plastic is a significant contributor to climate change throughout its lifecycle. By 2050, emissions from plastic alone will take up over a third of the remaining carbon budget for a 1.5 °C target. A plastics treaty must impose legally-binding plastic reduction targets.

A transition from a plastic-reliant economy toward a circular zero waste economy requires effective mobilization and allocation of financial resources. Public and private finance have distinct and intersecting roles to play in supporting and scaling up innovations for waste prevention, redesign, alternative delivery and reuse systems as well as improving existing waste collection and recycling systems.

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies seek to improve the environmental and social performance of products by holding producers and brand owners accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products. The global plastics treaty must embed well-designed EPR policies in it, guiding producers to prioritize upstream solutions.

The Global Plastics Treaty must focus on plastic reduction and reuse, instead of substituting a plastic single-use item for a bio-based, biodegradable, or compostable one.

Plastics are more than bottles, straws, and bags — more than individual products. The word “plastic” refers to many different materials with different properties that are given to them by their chemical ingredients.​