"Devastating"—US backpedals on global pact to limit plastic production

The Biden administration has backtracked from supporting a cap on plastic production as part of the United Nations' global plastics treaty.

A spokesperson for the White House Council on Environmental Quality told Grist that they "do not see this as a production cap and do not support such a cap" Representatives from five environmental groups say the news is "absolutely devastating".

Negotiators will back lists that include plastic products containing those chemicals.

Environmental groups see this approach as less effective, since there are so many kinds of plastic products and because manufacturers don't always have complete information about the chemicals used by their suppliers.

The incoming Trump administration is unlikely to support the treaty, and the Senate won't ratify it.