The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) addressed an appeal yesterday to fifty major bodies in the Israeli economy to join the fight against disposable plastic products. "Israel is a world power when it comes to plastic pollution. Every year, we Israelis produce huge quantities of plastic waste. Plastic production involves processes that pollute the air, it worsens the climate crisis, destroys ecological systems, and kills living creatures on land and in the sea. Israel is currently ranked second in the world for per-capita use of disposable plastic utensils, and the amount of waste on Israel's beaches is greater than in any other place in the world," the SPNI writes in its appeal.
"The quantity of micro-plastic reaching the sea in Israel is nine times the average for Mediterranean littoral countries. Let's put a stop to this. We invite you to take part in the revolution, to introduce the vital environmental change in your organization, and to end the use of disposable utensils in all the organization's activities."
The SPNI's appeal was sent to food outlets such as Aroma, Arcafe, Japanika and Vanilia, hotels, technology companies such as Intel, Apple, Elbit Systems, Google, Wix, and Facebook, the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Defense, the president's residence, the universities, banks, shopping malls, the Jewish National Fund, and the Israel Parks and Nature Authority.
The SPNI plans to publish the names of companies and organizations that undertake to eliminate the use of plastic disposable utensils from January 2020 at its forthcoming climate conference on November 24. The conference has been held annually since the signing of the Paris Agreement on measures to combat climate change was signed in 2015. Israel is a signatory to the agreement. In 2020, the signatory countries will have to report on the actions they have taken to implement the agreement and to limit the rise in earth surface temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on November 11, 2019
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