Breaking our plastics habit is easier said than done

David Fickling We produce some 400 million tonnes of plastics year in, year out. Could our unshakeable addiction to plastics be broken? That’s certainly the hope of activists. The US – birthplace of the modern polymers industry, and the biggest producer of its key feedstocks, oil and gas – has joined a bloc supporting a worldwide treaty capping plastics production.

That could make a UN meeting in South Korea in November a turning point in the material culture of humanity. The harder challenge will be ensuring that an agreement is workable. Already a subscriber? Log in Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month $9.



90 $9.90/month No contract ST app access on 1 mobile device Subscribe now All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now.