A recent meeting under the auspices of the United Nations in Busan, South Korea failed to agree on a cap on annual production of plastics now estimated at 450 million tons.  Possibly due to the diversity of interests among the 170 nations participating neither agreement on the volume of production or inclusion of potentially toxic components was attained.

Petroleum-producing nations would suffer with a cap on plastic production.  It is evident that alternatives to plastic should be developed and that recycling and proper disposal of necessary plastic products should be promoted.