OH manufacturer joins group seeking global treaty on plastics

By Mark Richardson

More than 100 countries are meeting in Geneva this week to negotiate an international treaty on limiting the production of plastics. According to the Plastic Pollution Coalition, more than 400 million tons of plastic are produced annually, with a significant portion escaping into the environment. One manufacturer, Naturepedic, has signed on to "Champions of Change," a global group of businesses pledging to reduce their reliance on plastics.

Barry Cik, technical director for Naturepathic, an Ohio company that makes plastic-free bedding, said plastic removal is an ongoing effort.

"We have eliminated plastic as much as possible, and we have eliminated other toxic chemicals also as much as possible. Instead of polyurethane foam, we would use organic cotton fill, organic wool, organic latex," he said.

He added that the company has been successful in the marketplace by offering consumers an option to buy mattresses and other products that aren't made with urethane or other toxins. Backers of the treaty are seeking to cut single-use plastic products and ban many of the harmful chemicals used to make plastics. The Trump administration, backed by oil producers, opposes any limitations on plastic products.

Negotiators say the treaty aims to slow the rate of plastic pollution in the world's oceans and landfills.

Scientists estimate there are 200 trillion pieces of plastic already in the world's oceans, and that could triple if no action is taken. Cik said that, along with removing it from products, it is also important to eliminate it from packaging.

"A lot of plastics are used in packaging," he continued. "So not only have we replaced plastics in the products itself, but also in the packaging, we've replaced much of the plastic with paper and cardboard packaging."

The conference is sponsored by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution. The committee began working on the treaty in late 2022, and hopes to have a final product by the end of this year.