Press Note
12 September 2024, Delhi: Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) launched an exclusive microsite dedicated to its ‘Plastics Fuel Infertility’ campaign (PFIC), on 28th August 2024 through an online event. The Campaign aims to shed light on the detrimental impacts of plastics across its full lifecycle on human and animal health, livelihoods, the environment, and the climate. The PFIC microsite will serve as a repository for all of CFA’s work related to oil and natural gas which includes petrochemicals, plastics and post consumption management.
According to an estimate by UNEP, plastic production has soared from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 348 million tonnes in 2017, becoming a global industry valued at US$ 522.6 billion, and it is expected to double in capacity by 2040. As we all are dealing with the addiction of plastics pollution, we are in a critical juncture where the global community has a last opportunity to negotiate an effective and legally binding Global Plastics Treaty to combat the pervasive threat of plastics at the final session of the International Negotiating Committee (INC-5) which is scheduled for 25 November to 1 December 2024 in Busan, Republic of Korea.
While we are aware of plastics’ impacts on environment, livelihoods, health and climate, it is crucial for us to address the root cause of the problem rather than invest in futile end-of-pipeline solutions. The PFIC microsite has been launched as an effort to bring focus on the entire life cycle of plastics especially on upstream petrochemical production and to call out false solutions like Waste to Energy incineration.
The event began with Swathi Seshadri from CFA unveiling the Campaign logo and microsite. She said that this microsite is designed “to unearthing myths, hidden truths and white-lies” that large corporations peddle in the name of development. She also shared that in the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, India has been emphasising that plastics is a waste management issue, therefore making it important to highlight that unless there is a reduction in petrochemical production and consumption, the problem with plastics will not go away. The event featured three key speakers viz., Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Senior Journalist and Author; Aarti Latkar, Research Fellow, Aarhus University; and Debasis Shyamal, President, Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum who shared various dimensions of the plastics and petrochemical issue, from policy gaps to on-the-ground realities in India. The launch of this microsite is not just a digital milestone but a call to action to mobilise support for holding fossil fuel polluters accountable.
Shedding light on the petrochemicals and plastics landscape in India, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta stated that “India is not just one of the major players in the global petrochemicals industry but it is one of the largest users of petrochemical products. Plastic industry in India in particular is reflecting the existing inequalities of income and wealth.” Aarti Latkar addressed the environmental and health impacts of plastics burning and highlighted that “When we frame plastics pollution (only) as a problem of litter, it will individualise the responsibilities. According to a recent study, we know only about one-fourth of the chemicals that are marketed for use in plastics and do not know about the rest of the chemicals used in plastics. Therefore, it is important to apply precautionary principle as there is so much that we do not know about how plastics and associated chemicals are affecting us.” While speaking about the impacts on (fishing) communities affected by petrochemical industries, Debasis Shyamal stated that “Hooghly river is contaminated by petrochemical industries and has become unfit for fishing. While fishing with a 900mt long fishing net, we get 5-7 kg plastics and 3-4 kg fish. Cleaning the net has become a huge issue. Polystyrene/thermocol breakdowns are eaten by the fish and are found in their stomach. For fisherfolks, plastics are a big part of the current crisis of life and livelihood.” The event was concluded by Joe Athialy from CFA who said that “One of the reasons to have this microsite and put things in one place is because of the contradictions coming out in what it’s (Indian Government) pronouncing and what it’s doing. Secondly, plastics are not traced back to fossil fuels and this microsite is trying to bring that connection between fossil fuels and the plastics which is beyond a pollution issue”.
To access the website, click here: https://plasticsfuelinfertility.cenfa.org/