Responding to the collapse of talks on an international treaty on plastics, Green Peer Natalie Bennett said:
“The draft treaty was the product of intense lobbying by the chemical and plastics industries backed by key petroleum states. These vested interests should never have been allowed near the talks in the first place.
“They are to blame for these talks collapsing and must be excluded from future efforts to curb plastics production.
“Plastics is in the air we breathe, the food we eat and even in children yet to be born. It is fuelling the climate crisis, it is devastating communities around the world and destroying natural habitats.
“Now, plastics will continue to contaminate our land and water supplies, and be ingested through our foods.
“That will severely impact on our health and that health of the planet.
“We desperately need an ambitious treaty, which leads to decisive action to cut plastic production, is absolutely essential and the UK government must lead the way in closing the door on oil producing states and fossil fuel and chemical corporations from future talks.”