APRS has signed this letter to Scotland’s First Minister on the Global Plastics Treaty urging the Scottish Government to do all they can to end plastic pollution. We are very disappointed in a lack of progress in dealing with waste and litter since the government passed the Circular Economy Act last year and demand that more action be taken.
Read the Letter
Monday 4th August 2025
Dear John Swinney MSP, First Minister and Gillian Martin MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy,
SUPPORT THE GLOBAL PLASTICS TREATY AND TAKE ACTION FOR SCOTLAND
As the world comes together in Geneva to finalise the Global Plastics Treaty, we a group of civil society organisations, are writing to you to urge that the Scottish Government does all it can to end plastic pollution and its damaging impacts. In Scotland, 9 out of 10 adults are concerned about plastics pollution and the Scottish Government can play an important role by demonstrating its unwavering support to securing a legally binding international treaty, and by acting urgently and ambitiously at home.
The science is clear: the plastics crisis is damaging the planet and our health, and these impacts will worsen if production continues to increase. 99% of plastics are made from fossil fuels, and plastic production is fueling the climate crisis. If left uncontrolled, it will consume up to one-third of the remaining Paris Agreement carbon budget by 2050, surpassing the energy and transportation sectors.
Exposure to plastics is harming our health. The quantity of microplastics found in brain samples from 2024 is nearly double that of samples from 2016. More than 16,000 chemicals are associated with plastic production, with 4,200 of them identified as a hazard for the environment and human health.
Plastic pollution impacts some people, especially marginalised groups such as women and ethnic minority groups, more than others, reinforcing social inequalities. Millions of tonnes of plastic waste have been exported from rich countries to be dumped in the global south. 60% of all recycled plastics are managed by waste pickers.
In Scotland, much of the plastic we use is unnecessary, designed for single use and often not even recyclable. People see the impact of plastic litter and thrown away products in their daily lives and support for change is high.
Measures in place today, such as recycling and selective product bans, have proven insufficient in addressing the plastic crisis. Solutions must address the root cause of the crisis – how plastics are produced and sold. Only governments can hold producers and retailers to account for the harm created by their plastic products. Many of the actions required to achieve this can and must be taken at a devolved level.
Since the passing of Scotland’s Circular Economy Law a year ago, we are concerned that the only significant change in circular economy policy has been a backwards step to postpone indefinitely a 25p charge on disposable cups. We do not have time to fix the economy one product at a time. The Scottish Government must step up action to reduce the impacts of plastic and protect the people of Scotland from its harms.
We call on the Scottish Government to support the Global Plastics Treaty by:
- Immediately and publicly calling for the UK Government to support the initiative of Peru and Rwanda in proposing a target to reduce plastic production by 40% by 2040 in the negotiations.
- Supporting the UK Government in their engagement in the plastics treaty negotiations, ensuring that the UK remains an active member of the High Ambition Coalition.
- Ahead of the treaty negotiations in August 2025, publicly committing to reducing the impacts of plastic on people and nature.
We are also calling on Scottish Government to take the following actions to reduce plastic in Scotland:
- In the forthcoming Circular Economy Strategy, include targets which reduce plastic production and waste, including the export of waste. Transparently measure and report Scotland’s plastic production, consumption and waste.
- Develop and invest in a reuse programme to improve access to reuse and repair services. The goal should be that reuse is as easy as buying new for everyone in Scotland.
- Create an extensive Extended Producer Responsibility Programme to ensure producers and retailers pay for the cleanup of their products. Planning must begin immediately.
- Ban the burning of plastic in incinerators, building on the recommendation in the independent review on incineration conducted for the Scottish Government in 2022.
- Properly support local authorities to enforce existing and future legislative changes, such as the Single Use Plastics ban.
- Conduct research into the impacts of chemicals in plastic on people and nature, and the actions needed to tackle them.
- Ensure these transitions are socially just by putting communities and workers at the heart of plastic reduction plans at every stage.
This is the final chance to ensure the Global Plastics Treaty reflects the ambition and action that most people want to see. The world is watching, and we are ready to collaborate with you in these efforts. We look forward to your response,
Yours faithfully,
Friends of the Earth Scotland
UK Without Incineration Network (UKWIN)
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland
Circular Communities Scotland
Nourish Scotland
Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland
Surfers Against Sewage
Common Weal
Plastic-Free Scotland Communities
Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland
Reloop Platform
Environmental Investigation Agency
Marine Conservation Society
Action to Protect Rural Scotland
Circular Design Synergy Limited
Scottish Environment LINK
Fidra
ApparelXchange C.I.C.