95 percent of Pinoys back single-use plastic ban – Greenpeace

MANILA, Philippines — Nine in 10 Filipinos support the ban on single-use plastic, according to environmental group Greenpeace Philippines.

Greenpeace said that Filipinos are the top supporters of the Global Plastics Treaty that aims to mandate cuts on plastic production.

It added that the survey conducted in 19 countries revealed that 94 percent of Filipinos believe that a cap on plastic production will stop plastic pollution, prevent biodiversity loss and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The Philippines also topped the list of respondents who said that the Global Plastics Treaty must ban single-use plastic packaging and tied with Indonesian respondents who said that the treaty should include targets that oblige governments and corporations to transition away from single-use plastic packaging to reusable and refillable packaging.

Filipinos are likewise the most concerned about the health effects of plastics on their loved ones and are the second most concerned about the effect on their own health, according to Greenpeace.

The survey was conducted last February, and the results were released ahead of the fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee or INC4 meeting for a Global Plastics Treaty to be held in Ottawa, Canada at the end of the month.

The poll was commissioned by Greenpeace International and conducted by Censuswide. It sampled 19,088 members of the public in the Philippines, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, India, Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, China, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Austria and Norway.

“Filipinos are against plastic pollution and want genuine and lasting solutions to the plastic crisis because they know it’s harmful to health and the environment,” Greenpeace Philippines - Zero Waste campaigner Marian Ledesma said.

“We hope these findings prompt the Philippine delegation to stand with Filipino people in supporting a treaty with ambitious cuts on plastic production,” Ledesma added.