Life in Plastic

The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) met at the end of February 2022 to discuss the ongoing problems of chemical and plastic pollution. At this meeting, the environment ministers from 193 Nations agreed to establish an ambitious science-policy panel for global management of chemical waste and pollution and, for the first time, to forge a worldwide and legally binding treaty for tackling plastic pollution 1, 24. Work on this treaty, which will cover all stages of the plastic life cycle, is to begin this year, with a draft agreement to be completed by 20242.

Of course, chemical pollution is not purely caused by plastic production, with agriculture being one of the other leading contributors25. In fact, pollution from agrochemicals is one of the strongest factors linked to habitat collapse26. The new Value Alignment Tool (VAT) from ESG Book will allow investors to systematically screen over 29,000 companies on their revenues and business involvements from 7 overarching themes, with 36 different screens available. Within the Chemical theme, the VAT allows for the screening of assets involved in plastic, fertiliser, and pesticide production, tackling three of the leading causes of destructive chemical pollution.

To read the full article, click here.