The Biden administration is backing away from its push for a plastics production cap in a global treaty to limit plastic pollution in favor of a more general goal to reduce production.
The newest shift walks back the White House’s more ambitious approach signaled two months ago, which environmentalists cheered and industry groups heavily criticized as being bad for business.
A spokesperson for the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality said in a Nov. 15 email, “The U.S. has called for reductions in the global production and consumption of primary plastic polymers and endorsed the idea of a ‘North Star’ aspirational global goal.”
“We do not see this as a production cap and do not support such a cap,” the spokesperson continued. “We believe there are different paths available for achieving reductions in plastic production and consumption.”
