Context:

The Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) unites 25 Countries in the Fight Against Plastic Pollution.

More on the News

• GPAP has recently welcomed seven new members which include Angola, Bangladesh, Gabon, Guatemala, Kenya, Senegal, and Tanzania bringing its impact-focused global network to 25 countries.
• In May 2022 — Maharashtra state, through its Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, joined the World Economic Forum's Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP).

Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP)

• GPAP was officially launched in September 2018 by the World Economic Forum at its Sustainable Development Impact Summit.
• GPAP bring together governments, businesses and civil society to translate commitments into action at both the global and national levels against plastic pollution.
• GPAP’s goal is to stop plastic waste leakage and foster a shift toward sustainable materials, benefiting both the environment and the economy.
• The Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) has become the largest global program tackling plastic pollution, now impacting over 1.5 billion people.

Status of Plastic Pollution

It is the accumulation in the environment of synthetic plastic products to the point that they create problems for wildlife as well as for human populations.

• Plastic is a synthetic, organic polymer made from fossil fuels, such as gas and petroleum.

New research published in the journal Nature has said that India is responsible for around one-fifth of global plastic emissions of around 9.3 million metric tonnes (Mt) per year.

• It places India at the top of the emitters’ list and China at fourth.

Plastics are the largest, most harmful and persistent fraction of marine litter, accounting for at least 85% of total marine waste.

Plastic waste globally has more than doubled from 156 million tonnes per annum in 2000 to 353 million tonnes per annum in 2019, underscoring the need for urgent, collective action. 

An estimated 20 million metric tons of plastic litter end up in the environment every year

Nearly two-thirds of plastic waste comes from plastics with useful life of under five years, with 40% coming from packaging, 12% from consumer goods and 11% from clothing and textiles

In March 2022, 175 countries adopted a historic resolution at the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), to develop an international, legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution (Draft resolution of Plastic Pollution).