ISLAMABAD: On the eve of the World Consumer Rights Day, TheNetwork for Consumer Protection has proposed the federal and provincial governments to phase out plastic from consumers’ lives to save the planet.
This World Consumer Rights Day (15 March 2021), consumer organizations around the world are calling for global change to tackle plastic pollution.
The 2021 World Consumer Rights Day campaign’s theme is 7Rs: Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair and Replace. Consumers everywhere are taking action now on every one of the 7Rs and demanding that government and business should support them to do more.
World Consumer Rights Day, coordinated by Consumers International, the membership organization for consumer groups around the world, takes place every year to highlight the importance of consumer protection and empowerment. In 2021 the role of consumers and consumer advocacy is highlighted in tackling plastic pollution and it is being demonstrated that consumers everywhere demand change for environment and health.
An online webinar is being held by TheNetwork for Consumer Protection regarding the International Consumers Rights Day on March 15, 2021. TheNetwork has full membership of the Consumers International Organization.
The key speakers addressing the session are; Additional Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, Rana Waqas Anwar and Babar Sahib Din, Additional Deputy Commissioner Islamabad (East).
Plastic can be highly useful material in everyday life, but our consumption and production of plastics, especially single-use plastic that amounts to around 50% of the total plastic products produced, are now unsustainable leading to a global plastic pollution crisis. This is impacting our ecosystems and our health.
This is particularly important as we continue to see the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic on plastic pollution, with an increased use of single-use products including plastic face masks, gloves and food packaging. Consumers are increasingly concerned about plastic pollution and already taking action.
A global study in 2019 found that there is a strong consumer response to plastic waste (with 82% of respondents using reusable cleaning utensils instead of single-use plastic alternatives, 72% bringing reusable bags when shopping and 62% using refillable drinking bottles) and despite the increased use of single-use plastic during the pandemic, 55% of consumers globally have now become more concerned about the environment as a result of COVID-19 and nearly 74% of consumers (in Europe, the US and South America) are willing to spend more on sustainable packaging.
As per Consumers International Organization data, around 40% of the plastic is produced for packaging and is discarded after single use that adds to the plastic pollution. Likewise, in the last
15 years the production of plastic skyrocketed than any other time. Around 8 million tons of plastic waste enters the oceans across the globe.
Making more sustainable alternatives available, accessible and affordable, building effective recycling infrastructure, and ensuring that consumers have the information they need to make informed choices are only some of the ways that this can be achieved.
In Pakistan, the incumbent government has taken many initiatives regarding the replacement of the plastic materials under the PM Imran Khan’s Clean Green Pakistan Campaign 2019. The polythene bags were prohibited in ICT for use in the markets in 2019 under the regulation called as ‘Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency Ban on (Manufacturing, Import, Sale, Purchase, Storage, and Usage)’ was passed.
Similarly, the provinces also have laws regarding use of plastic products but they lack effective implementation. However, after the law of ICT got passed, the provinces also took measures to curb non-biodegradable plastic use especially polythene bags in order to control plastic pollution. In the first week of March, the Minister on Climate Change warned those who were flouting the ban in the capital city and ensured check and balance raids.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021