G-7 Agree to Work Harder to Reduce Marine Plastic Waste

September 21, 2018

Halifax, Canada- Environment, oceans and energy ministers from the Group of Seven industrial powers agreed on Thursday to promote the recycling of plastic waste and the development of treatment technologies as part of efforts to curb the generation of marine plastic litter.

The ocean waste issue, which is becoming increasingly serious worldwide, took the center stage of discussions on the second day of a three-day meeting among the ministers from the G-7 countries--Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States--plus the European Union in Halifax, eastern Canada.

A document adopted on Thursday called for developing new product designs and management processes to increase "the durability, reusability and recyclability" of plastic products that are not currently recycled.

It also sought the development of "new cost-effective technologies and infrastructure" to collect, recycle and treat plastic waste, as well as the supply of waste management-related support to "major source countries" in order to prevent plastics from entering the environment.

In implementing those measures, the G-7 nations will aim to leverage the mechanisms of international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank, according to the document.

During the Thursday session, Japanese Environment Minister Masaharu Nakagawa explained the country's plan to work out a domestic plastics recycling strategy by June 2019, when the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies hold a summit in Osaka, western Japan.

The Japanese strategy is expected to show more ambitious goals than those included in the Ocean Plastics Charter, which was proposed at the G-7 summit in Charlevoix, Canada, in June this year, he said.

The charter called for, among other things, recycling and reusing at least 55 pct of plastic packaging by 2030 and recovering 100 pct of all plastics by 2040.

Japan refrained from signing the document, claiming that it needs time for discussions with the industrial sector. The United States also stopped short of signing the charter.

At an event also in Halifax on Thursday, Nakagawa said that Japan is ready to provide its recycling and related technologies and know-how to countries in East and Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. Jiji Press