MANILA, Philippines — Environment and public health groups on Wednesday called on corporations to halt their dependence on single-use plastics, which they said is harming not only the planet but also humans.
In a joint statement released ahead of the United Nations climate summit, more than 50 organizations urged consumer goods companies such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Unilever to phase out single-use plastics and adopt a reuse system.
"The plastic crisis's connection to the climate emergency and environmental justice impacts are undeniable. The cost of the continued dependence by corporations on single-use plastics and planned expansion of plastic production are too high to be ignored," they said.
The statement came following the release of Break Free From Plastic’s recent report, which showed that Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are ranked the world’s biggest plastic polluters for the fourth consecutive year.
The groups stressed that plastic products are "fueling the climate crisis" as almost all plastic is made from fossil fuels.
"Every stage of plastic's life cycle produces greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel exploration and extraction from the ground to its end of life," they said.
Plastic pollutions also threatens ecosystems and exposes people to health risks, the organizations added.
"Without drastic interventions, its adverse impacts on environmental health and subsequent economic and social effects would be felt from the global to the local level for decades," they said.
A 2019 report by Global Alliance for Incinerators Alternatives showed the Filipinos throw around 164 million pieces of sachets, 57 million shopping bags, and 45.2 million pieces of labo bags every day.