Draft 2:
Draft 3:
Category: Environmental
Industry Affected: Manufacturing
Proposed by: Gryphonian Alliance
The General Assembly,
Aware that the overwhelming majority of plastics used around the world today are petroleum-based;
Concerned that the most commonly used petroleum-based plastics take decades or even centuries to naturally decompose into smaller compounds;
Likewise concerned that these compounds and the plastics they come from pose a significant threat to wildlife and human health;
Understanding that many biodegradable plastics are currently too expensive and/or low-performance compared to traditional petroleum-based plastics;
Wishing to encourage all nations to increase usage of more environmentally-friendly products;
Hereby:
1) Defines "biodegradable plastics" for the purposes of this resolution as any compounds that can be molded into a variety of shapes (plastics) that are specifically capable of entirely decomposing under microbial action into nontoxic compounds within one year, whether that be under conditions found in an open environment, landfills, freshwater, saltwater, soil, or industrial composting facilities.
2) Requires all member nations to fund research and production of biodegradable plastics with the goal of finding and distributing information on cheaper and more accessible production methods for economically viable, high-performance biodegradable plastics and the secondary goal of increasing usage of these plastics in the manufacturing of plastic-based products;
3) Establishes the International Plastics Regulation Committee (IPRC) within the World Assembly Scientific Programme (WASP) and charges it with:
(a) Investigating compliance with this resolution among all member nations through the reception of annual reports supplied by each nation on the quantity of subsidies and/or funding and the effectiveness of funding research working towards the goal of this resolution in the form of information on the quantities, production/disposal methods, and types of biodegradable plastics produced in each nation, along with the degree of success in proper disposal and degradation of those plastics, and effectiveness of enforcement of this resolution on the national level;
(b) Reviewing these reports and providing recommendations to member nations supporting international collaboration on plastics research or instructions on how to better apply subsidies or funding mandated by this resolution;
(c) Cooperating with the WACC (GAR#390) and IAO (GAR#440) to maintain member nation compliance with this resolution;
(d) Allowing nations found to have sufficient biodegradable plastics research and public usage/proper disposal of products made with those materials to no longer have to abide by this resolution unless the applicable nations fail to continue this research and production, upon which the resolution will once again be imposed on them;
(e) Exempting those member nations that do not produce plastics of any sort from having to fund production of biodegradable plastics;
(f) Exempting those member nations that the committee deems to have a critically strained economy and/or are suffering from a debilitating national crisis from having to fund production and research until they are stabilized;
4) Encourages all member nations that consume plastic products to reduce usage of plastics requiring year-length timespans or greater to degrade and those that release harmful chemicals upon decomposition.