PARIS - Global shipping group CMA CGM said on Friday it will stop transporting plastic waste on its vessels from June 1 to help curb pollution.
One of the world's largest container lines, the French-based firm said it currently carries the equivalent of about 50,000 standard containers of plastic waste per year.
Plastic has become a focus of international negotiations on pollution as the oil derivative has filled refuse sites and littered oceans. Some countries have moved to ban imports of such waste.
In its announcement made during the One Ocean Summit hosted by France, CMA CGM said its halting of plastic waste transport would help curb flows to destinations where sorting and recycling are not guaranteed.
Last month, international brands including Coca Cola and PepsiCo called for a global pact to combat plastic pollution that includes cuts in plastic production, a key growth area for the oil industry.
World officials will meet at a United Nations Environment Assembly conference (UNEA 5.2) later this year to start negotiations on a treaty to tackle a plastic waste crisis that is choking landfills, despoiling oceans and killing wildlife.
It remains unclear whether any deal will focus on waste management and recycling or take tougher steps such as curbing new plastic production, a move that would likely face resistance from big oil and chemical firms and major plastic-producing countries like the United States.
The more than 70 signatories to Monday's joint statement include consumer goods companies like Unilever and Nestle, which sell a myriad of products in single-use plastic from shampoo to chocolate bars, as well as retailer Walmart and French bank BNP Paribas.
"We are at a critical point in time to establish an ambitious UN treaty," the statement said, noting that any deal should "reduce virgin plastic production and use."
"UNEA 5.2 is the decisive, most auspicious moment to turn the tide on the global plastic pollution crisis. We cannot afford to miss it," the statement said.
Less than 10 per cent of all the plastic ever made has been recycled, and a Reuters investigation last year revealed that new recycling technologies touted by the plastics industry have struggled to combat the problem.
Meanwhile, production of plastic, which is derived from oil and gas, is projected to double within 20 years. This is a key source of future revenue for energy majors, as demand for fossil fuels wanes with the rise of renewable energy and electric vehicles. (REUTERS)
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
