A 2022 report from the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) projects that humans produce about 460 million tons of plastic each year. Without immediate action, that amount is projected to triple by 2060.

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This panel comes weeks before the UN meets again in hopes of finalizing a historic treaty that would address the full lifecycle of plastic, from production and design to collection, disposal and recycling. Talks began three years ago and the last round of talks in December ended in a stalemate without a treaty.

McCauley said the scale of the plastics problem the global community is facing is “immense,” which makes the opportunity to solve it with new negotiations “really exciting.”

As a marine biologist, he outlined the real negative impacts of plastic pollution. There is a threat to biodiversity and the habitats of marine life, and a human health impact with the rise of microplastics in our food and water supply. In terms of climate change, McCauley said that without a solution, greenhouse gas emissions from continued plastic production will increase by 37 percent.

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While the final draft of the treaty is still in the works, Simon said the 193 countries are aligned on a few measures. This includes getting “problematic” materials out of production, designing more sustainable plastic, financing the transition to a recycling infrastructure and making sure these agreements can be strengthened over time.

“In this next session, it is our hope that we set the glide path for all of those in the right direction,” she said. “It is our hope that we find ways to build more bridges than we seem to have burned in the last sessions of negotiations.”

At APR, Steve Alexander said the organization has design and testing guides for plastic packaging and recycling that are referenced around the world. While these guidelines, and many others related to sustainability and recycling, are helpful, they are also voluntary. He said the UN treaty needs to have some level of standardization.