A global poll has revealed consumers’ attitudes towards single-use plastics.

According to the survey released today by market research firm IPSOS, three in four people worldwide want single-use plastics to be banned as soon as possible, as United Nations members prepare to begin talks on a global treaty to rein in soaring plastic pollution.

The IPSOS poll also showed that 85% of respondents globally want manufacturers and retailers to be held responsible for reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic packaging, up from 80% previously.

The percentage of people calling for a ban is up from 71% since 2019, while those who said they favored products with less plastic packaging rose to 82% from 75%, according to the poll of more than 20,000 people across 28 countries.

The biggest support for single-use plastics ban in the poll came from the likes of Colombia, Mexico, and India – developing countries at the sharp end of a waste crisis.

Almost 90% of those surveyed said they supported a treaty, although it remains unclear whether any deal would focus merely on waste collection, recycling, or take more radical measures like curbing production.

This push for the halt on plastic pollution, if not followed through, will see widespread ecological damage over the coming decades as marine species and crucial ecosystems will be at risk of extinction, according to a World Wildlife Fund study released this month.

According to activists, this is a clear message to governments meeting in Nairobi this month to advance the ambitious treaty to tackle plastic waste – a deal being publicized as the most important environmental pact since the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015.

It is believed that the outcome of the Nairobi conference from Feb. 28 to March 2 will determine the key elements of any deal.

Already, big oil and chemical industry groups are devising means to convince conference participants to resist any deal that would limit the production of plastic.