“Stop Hazardous Chemicals in Plastics”

29 November 2024 — As entering the 5th day of the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) on the “Global Plastics Treaty” in Busan, South Korea, in the morning, Penchom Saetang and Thitikorn Boontongmai, the representatives of the Ecological Alert and Recovery — Thailand (EARTH) have expressed their standpoints, along with the representatives from Greenpeace Thailand, and the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). Together, they raise signs, “Stop hazardous chemicals In plastics”, in front of the INC-5 meeting hall, calling for the delegates and government representatives from all countries attending the INC-5 to show their sincerities to seriously resolve the plastic pollution crisis, and prioritize human health and the environment over economic values. 

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“I firmly believe that the drafted treaty should take into account the environment and the health of all citizens. Stop the hazardous chemicals used in plastic products because consumers are unable to determine what harmful substances are contained in plastics and how they may impact their health,” said Thitikorn Boontongmai, a representative of the EARTH Thailand.

According to EARTH’s representatives, the negotiation is a bit behind the schedule. In an overview, there are many countries that oppose the “Global Plastics Treaty,” especially a group of petrochemical-producing nations who have been actively pressing for this agreement since the previous INCs.

For the case of Thailand, it usually appeared that the petrochemical industry group used to be involved in the country’s delegates for the previous INCs. However, for this INC-5, there are no representatives from the private sector included in the list of Thai delegates. 

“Health and safety of the people are in the hands of all intergovernmental delegates. Let’s push for the ‘Plastic Treaty’ in order to seriously stop plastic pollution, particularly the usage of harmful chemicals in plastics,” said Penchom Saetang, director of the EARTH Thailand.

Read in Thai at https://tinyurl.com/mrxx3pjt