Eco-Business

The Philippines' environment agency wants to be part of a group that supports plastic production cuts, but the bureau of investments is likely opposing it due to links to the plastics industry, says veteran scientist Jorge Emmanuel who is attending the negotiations in Ottawa.

A beach in north Jakarta, Indonesia, devastated by plastic pollution.

The number of plastics industry participants at the latest round of negotiations has increased by 37 per cent. Lobbyists are pushing recycling as a remedy to the plastic crisis, which NGOs decry as a "false solution" and demand deep cuts in polymer production to meet climate goals. Some fear that a legally binding treaty is unlikely.

Organisers of the Paris Games have pledged to cut planet-heating emissions in half but how will they deliver on this ambition?

As UN talks in Canada seek global plastics treaty, research says levels of plastic waste have become unmanageable.

By Robin Hicks

By Hannah Alcoseba Fernandez

By Robin Hicks

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The ongoing negotiations have the potential to strengthen global cooperation and provide a framework for concerted action to tackle both plastic pollution and its climate impacts. By Shahriar Hossain

Applying lessons from the Montreal Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will forge an effective Global Plastics Treaty. By Jorge Emmanuel

Clean currents coalition_Juan Diaz River_pollution

The new global treaty to end plastic pollution should consider support for on-the-ground initiatives that remove and recycle waste. A disconnect between international plans and local realities can thwart progress and breed cynicism. By Mirei Endara de Heras

Sportswear, athleisure and sneakers are big business. But they depend on fossil fuel-based materials, and recycling them is particularly tricky. By Alexandra Sherlock and Rebecca Van Amber

Food & Agriculture

Decarbonising our food

By Anna Lappé and Patty Fong

By Nguyen Khac Giang

By Ibar Akbar

By Joshua Tan

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Exclusive Jack Johnson says yes, but it is a long road ahead. In this exclusive interview, we ask the American singer-songwriter and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador about his hopes for the state of the world and how music plays a role in providing a dose of optimism in dark times.

EB Studio Singapore gets through 2 million plastic bags a day. Why do Singaporeans use so many bags, and what will it take to reduce consumption?

Katherine Desbaillets, co-owner of SaladStop!

As Singapore-based salad bar chain SaladStop! marks its 10th anniversary, co-owner Katherine Desbaillets talks to Eco-Business about phasing out meat, food waste and single-use packaging, and dealing with customers who refuse to pay 10 cents for a plastic bag.

The Philippine government has begun the process of relocating more than 200,000 families living along waterways to restore Manila Bay, the main body of water in the capital.

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EB Studio As a landmark treaty is thrashed out to tackle plastic pollution, the Eco-Business Podcast debates whether the world is ready to pay a premium for packaging that doesn't damage the planet.

Recycling keeps some plastic out of waterways, but it is no silver bullet for ocean pollution. Ryan Schoenike of OceanCycle tells Eco-Business how recycled plastic certification works, and how his firm is faring in a sector rocked by Covid.

2020 was a bad year plastic recycling and ocean pollution. Eco-Business asked Circulate Capital CEO Rob Kaplan how the circular economy can be rebuilt in Asia this year.

EB Studio Recycling efforts in the Philippines are shrinking amid the pandemic, even as the plastic waste challenge mounts. Is the country on the verge of a more devastating plastic waste crisis?

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