As United Nations members prepare to begin talks on a global treaty to rein in soaring plastic pollution, three in four people worldwide want single-use plastics to be banned as soon as possible, according to a poll of more than 20,000 people across 28 countries. The percentage of people calling for bans is up from 71% since 2019, while those who said they favored products with less plastic packaging rose to 82% from 75%.

On average, 88% of people surveyed across 28 countries believe it is essential, very important or fairly important to have an international treaty to combat plastic pollution.

“These results make it very clear that there is a strong consensus globally that single-use plastics should be taken out of circulation as quickly as possible”, Ipsos Australia Director, Stuart Clark, said. “The fact that there is such strong support for an international treaty to address the single-use plastics shows that people see this as a challenge that all countries have to solve together. People want to do the right thing”.

Latin American and BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries show the highest levels of agreement with banning single-use plastic, at 88% and 80% respectively, while North America has the lowest levels of agreement at 61%.

The IPSOS poll also showed that 85% of respondents globally want manufacturers and retailers to be held responsible for reducing, reusing and recycling plastic packaging, up from 80% previously.

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Source: IPSOS