Plastic manufacturers push back after Biden administration agrees to support global goal to cap production

An industry organization is pushing back after the U.S. reportedly announced that it will support a global treaty calling for a reduction in how much new plastic is produced.

In a statement, Matt Seaholm, the president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association, said the Biden-Harris administration’s decision “turned its back” on residents whose livelihoods depend on the industry.

“The plastic industry is the seventh-largest manufacturing industry in the United States and employs 1 million people. With this decision, the White House has turned its back on Americans whose livelihoods depend on our industry, as well as on manufacturers in all sectors that rely on plastic materials,” he said.

“The White House’s misguided reversal in support of plastic production caps is not only impractical, but directly harmful to all U.S. manufacturers and will get us no closer to reaching our shared environmental goals,” he said. 

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Reuters first reported the United States’ new stance on plastic, citing a source close to American negotiators.

Various nations will meet this year to finalize the first-ever plastic treaty, the outlet reported. The talks are expected to be in the final phases at a November summit in Busan, South Korea.

Some countries, like China, Russia and Saudi Arabia, have pushed back against efforts to cap and phase down the production of plastic. 

With the U.S. as one of the world’s biggest plastic makers, the White House briefed stakeholders on Wednesday on its shift in position “that raises ambition,” the source said.

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The American Chemistry Council (ACC) said the shift signals that the Biden administration “caved” to the wishes of environmental groups. 

The group notably backs the global treaty on plastic but does not support caps or the proposed lists of chemicals to control.

“With today’s shift in position to support plastic production caps and regulate chemicals via the U.N. Plastics Agreement, the White House has signaled it is willing to betray U.S. manufacturing and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it supports,” said Chris Jahn, president of the ACC, told the outlet.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the ACC and the White House for comment.