US Calls for Common Sense Approach as UN Talks for Global Plastics Treaty Fail

‘We oppose global regulatory approaches,’ a State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

A worker watches as recyclables are emptied into a bailer at the Norcal Waste recycling facility in San Francisco on July 11, 2003. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The United States supports “common-sense and pragmatic approaches” to address the toxic problem of plastic pollution in the environment, the State Department has said in response to another round of failed talks at the United Nations to draft a treaty acceptable to all 193 member nations.

“We oppose global regulatory approaches, such as lists banning products or additives, that stifle innovation in manufacturing, drive inflation for consumer products, and limit exports of plastic resin and products,” a department spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email on Aug. 22.