The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) announced at the beginning of March that representatives from 175 nations agreed to draft a treaty to address the global plastic pollution problem. 

Dr. Jeanie Bukowski, an Associate Professor in the Political Science and International Studies Department at Bradley University, said she was optimistic about progress being made. However, she detailed hurdles UN negotiators will need to overcome, namely how to enforce the treaty, the collective goods problem, and the free rider problem. 

“The first really big thing to understand is that there is no higher authority in the international system than the sovereign state,” said Dr. Bukowski. “The UN doesn’t have a police force that can come and put a state in jail if it breaks the rules. Once [the treaty] is actually passed, what mechanisms are going to be in place in order to enforce it? There’s basically name and shame, which is kind of the Paris Agreement approach or targets and timetables, which is basically if states are not meeting their targets by X date, then if other states decide, they can sanction them and they can punish them.”

The collective goods problem and the free rider problem come into play when some countries or companies decide not to make the same commitments as their counterparts. 

“A collective good is something that if it’s achieved, then we all benefit from it. All countries, all people. If you achieve the collective good of reducing plastics, then everybody benefits from it, and the benefits are really diffuse,” explained Dr. Bukowski. “The issue is that if it’s a collective goods problem, it’s really difficult to exclude anybody from it because plastics are ubiquitous, and if that’s the case, then you get into the free rider problem: ‘Well, I can enjoy reduced plastic pollution, but, you know, if everybody else is [making sacrifices], then my industries don’t have to be hurt.’ So if too many countries or companies are free riders, then you can’t achieve the collective good.”

That is the crux of the issue. Countries and companies haven’t wanted to make commitments to reduce plastic pollution and make the necessary economic sacrifices since it would also benefit those who didn’t make any sacrifices at all. However, that appears to be changing with this announcement from the UN.

Isabela Nieto, Secretary of the Bradley University Environmental Club, offered recommendations on how college students can reduce their plastic pollution.

“A lot of the things in my room that need to be kept dry or kept in a jar are held in recycled things that I’ve had, like pasta jars or thick plastic bottles,” said Nieto. “There is a way to live eco-friendly without spending a lot of money. For example, like I said, reusing everything. That isn’t necessarily cost negative; you don’t really lose money when you reuse things. Another thing is pretty often companies will send out greenwashed products that are meant to seem environmentally friendly, and are beneficial, but are expensive. Using what you already have is the most sustainable option.”