Final Global Plastics Treaty negotiations off to good start in Busan

The first day of the final round of negotiations around a Global Plastics Treaty ended with an agreement to move a streamlined version of the draft text forward, signalling a strong intention to finalise and adopt the treaty before the end of the year.

The document that will be negotiated over the next few days is known as the Chair’s ‘non paper 3’, written by Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso (who is also Ecuador’s Ambassador to the UK).

It contains suggested text for areas where Vayas believes there is enough consensus, leaving certain topics open for further discussion this week – such as plastic and polymer production, the elimination of chemicals of concern from the plastics supply chain, and financial mechanisms to rid the world of plastic pollution.

Unity against delay tactics

For Erin Simon, vice president and head of plastic waste and business at WWF, the adoption of the Chair’s non paper as a basis for negotiations on the first day of the meetings is “a clear signal that states want to conclude with a meaningful treaty” at the fifth and final negotiation round in Busan, South Korea – also known as INC 5.

“Today the majority of the world’s government’s united in opposition to delay tactics from an outspoken minority of low ambition states. Over 150 countries succeeded in moving the negotiations forward on the basis of the Chair’s streamlined text, despite repeated attempts from spoilers to drag the process back to the unworkable compilation text.

"While there are only 63 hours for this week’s negotiations, we’re getting started with momentum on our side. If the progressive majority continues to hold strong, we will be on a path forward that could result in an ambitious treaty in hand by end of week,” Simon added.

Over the next few days, government representatives will negotiate the content of the final Global Plastics Treaty around four topics: upstream, downstream, finance, and supportive provisions such as reporting and monitoring frameworks.

Companies and governments call for Global Plastics Treaty adoption

Governments and business groups across the world have been calling for the adoption of a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty by the end of the year – as voluntary progress has been challenging.

This week, the EU said it was “committed to the conclusion of a global agreement” that would “turn off the tap” on plastic pollution. In particular, the EU wants the treaty to include a "Polluter Pays Principle" whereby major plastic producers would bear financial responsibility for plastic pollution. 

This is also known as ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ (EPR) and has been shown to be one of the most effective mechanisms in reducing plastic waste in landfills.

Earlier this month, the CEOs of 22 corporations including Danone, IKEA and Mars also called for the adoption of a Global Plastics Treaty encompassing global criteria and lists to enable the phase-out of chemicals of concern; sector-specific approaches a for circular product design; and key principles for the effective implementation of EPR schemes.