In Ottawa last April, the negotiations failed to narrow the disagreements between the parties. To still move forward with the treaty, discussions in Busan are starting with an informal non-paper.
Final Call for the Global Plastic Pollution Treaty. The final round of negotiations (INC-5) begins in Busan, South Korea, aiming to deliver a legally binding agreement to address the challenges posed by plastic production and its release into the environment.
Plastic pollution is an increasingly pervasive issue, impacting both the environment and human health, particularly through microplastics. Global plastic production is projected to rise by 70%, reaching 736 million tons by 2040. Additionally, some estimates suggest that plastic waste could double within the same timeframe.
Where do the negotiations for the Global Plastic Pollution Treaty stand? What were the outcomes of previous rounds? And what are the most contentious issues dividing parties?
As the world looks to the final round of talks in Busan, these questions take center stage. Here’s a closer look at the current state of play and the challenges ahead in crafting a binding agreement to combat plastic pollution.
Production vs. Consumption
From the outset, the central rift in the negotiations has been the scope of the treaty: should it address only the consumption of plastic, or should it also tackle its production?
The first option is preferred by the plastics industry and certain countries with strong ties to the petrochemical sector. Addressing production would mean setting legally binding targets to reduce the volume of plastic generated each year. This would shrink the business, accelerate the transition to a new economic model, and make it unavoidable.
The industry seeks to avoid this scenario and is pushing to focus solely on recycling. They argue that the issue lies not in production but in the dispersal of plastic products into the environment. Therefore, the higher the recycling rate, the less plastic will end up in rivers and oceans.
It is important to recall that the original mandate of the negotiations was broad: it aimed to address the entire lifecycle of plastics. This includes intervening in the production and manufacturing of plastic products, the chemical components used, and the design of the products themselves.
What is plastic waste?
Even sticking to the less ambitious approach is more divisive than it may seem. Negotiations have yet to produce a shared definition of what constitutes “plastic waste.” In particular, there is no agreement on when a product can be defined as waste, depending on the stage of its lifecycle. For some, it is considered waste only after being discarded by the end consumer. For other negotiating positions, it can be defined as waste even during the transport or production stages.
Where do the negotiations for the Global Plastic Pollution Treaty stand?
During the last round of negotiations held in Ottawa, Canada, national delegations produced a draft text that remains largely undefined, with about 1,500 open brackets. Too many to resolve in just 7 days in Busan.
For this reason, Luis Vayas, the president of the INC (the UN-backed negotiation process), has changed strategy. In South Korea, the negotiations will start with a different text, a “non-paper,” which is an informal document. The advantage of this approach? It summarizes the points of convergence and highlights areas where there is still no agreement.
This can facilitate discussions and lead to a final agreement, though some topics may be sacrificed along the way. After all, the starting text left out two crucial themes for the quality of the agreement: plastic production and trade-related aspects. The idea is to include a commitment in the treaty to address these issues at a later stage.
The EU Wants to Address Plastic Production
Throughout the negotiations, the EU has continued to advocate for the need to reduce plastic production levels as the only truly effective long-term solution. “Plastic is suffocating our oceans, polluting the environment, and harming people’s health and livelihoods. If things continue as usual, plastic production will triple by 2060,” reminds Maros Sefcovic, Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal.
“We need coordinated global policies to change plastic production and consumption models in a way that benefits both people and the planet,” he adds, declaring that the EU aims for “a global treaty by the end of this year.”
What Civil Society is Asking For
Environmental organizations continue to call for an ambitious agreement. According to WWF, the global plastic pollution treaty should include four essential, legally binding global measures covering the entire plastic lifecycle:
- Global Bans and Phasing Out of the Most Harmful and Problematic Plastic Products and Chemicals;
- Mandatory Global Product Design Requirements to ensure safety and ease of reuse and recycling;
- Identification of Required Funding and clear guidance on how these resources will be distributed to ensure a fair system-wide transformation;
- Establishment of Decision-Making Mechanisms to ensure that the Treaty can be strengthened and adapted over time.
