A treaty not yet signed but already limited? While 175 countries are currently in Paris to negotiate a future treaty against plastic pollution, the United States says that the future text should not "demonize" this matter.

"The United States wants to reach an ambitious international agreement that ends releases into the environment by 2040," as announced by the G7, "and that takes into account the different needs of each country," said Jose W. Fernandez, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, who came to Paris to lead a team of 40 negotiators.

For the future treaty, whose NGOs are concerned about its real effectiveness, "we advocate a flexible approach, as opposed to a prescriptive approach that would say this is what needs to be done," warned Jose W. Fernandez during an interview at the embassy, before the resumption Monday of delicate negotiations with 175 countries, supposed to conclude by the end of 2024.

"This is one of the environmental challenges of our time and it is a priority for us," the US official added. "It's also a question of justice because, in many cases, poor countries suffer," Fernandez said.

It acknowledges the "need for financial support" and stresses the responsibility of Westerners "among the main producers and consumers of plastic". While arguing the quality of the American collection system: "we are the source of less than 1% of ocean pollution".

The world's largest per capita consumer of plastic, the United States generates 20% of the world's 353 million tonnes of annual plastic waste, according to 2019 OECD figures. That they eliminate mostly by burial.

"Each country must be clear about the target. Then we should leave it to each country to chart its course," he said. "We are also very keen that treaties are always open to innovation."

The legal scope of the text is also in his sights: "Even within the High Ambition Coalition, some are of the opinion that one part of the treaty is legally binding and another is not," he said.



"The life cycle and overall greenhouse gas emissions of plastics are often lower than those of other sources such as glass or steel," says the minister. Plastic accounts for 3.4% of global emissions, a figure that could more than double in the future.

The American plastics industry, which includes the giants ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical, is worth tens of billions of dollars in the United States. And the U.S. government intends to defend the benefits of polymers.

"The life cycle and overall greenhouse gas emissions of plastics are often lower than those of other sources such as glass or steel," says the minister. Plastic accounts for 3.4% of global emissions, a figure that could more than double in the future.

"Plastics are also lighter, with a lower carbon footprint in terms of transportation," Fernandez said.

The toxic risks, linked to the thousands of additives suspected of being carcinogenic? "These situations may not exist in a particular country," and should therefore be dealt with at the national level, he said.

"There are uses of plastic that will be difficult to replace in the short term, in airplanes, automobiles, etc.," he said, before concluding: "Let's not demonize the invention of plastic."

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