75% want single-use plastics eliminated, global survey finds

LONDON－About 75 percent of people worldwide want single-use plastics to be banned as soon as possible, according to a poll released on Tuesday, as United Nations members prepare to begin talks on a global treaty to rein in soaring plastic pollution.

The percentage of people calling for bans is up from 71 percent since 2019, while those who said they favored products with less plastic packaging rose to 82 percent from 75 percent, according to an Ipsos poll that surveyed more than 20,000 people across 28 countries.

Activists said the results send a clear message to governments meeting in Nairobi for the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly this month to press ahead with an ambitious treaty to tackle plastic waste, a deal being touted as the most important environmental pact since the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015.