Agreement on a global plastics treaty, the aim of the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2), which kicks off in Geneva this week, would be a “win for business and the planet”, a leading industry voice has said.
The INC-5.2 session takes place from 5 to 14 August, with the aim of advancing negotiations on a global plastic treaty, however discussions to date have proven challenging.
Talks on the development of a global plastics treaty commenced in 2022, and at the last session, INC-5.1, more than 100 countries expressed frustration at the lack of progress made. As things stand, one group of countries, known as the ‘High Ambition Coalition’, supports a legally binding treaty with limits on plastic production, while another, which includes nations such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Iran, India, Brazil, and the United States, is in favour of a voluntary agreement focusing only on recycling and waste management.
‘A historic opportunity’
‘The world will be watching,” Catherine Chevauché, strategy and innovation director – sustainable development at Veolia, said in an article on the World Economic Forum website. “After years of mounting pressure, governments are working to finalise a groundbreaking international treaty to end plastic pollution. It’s a historic opportunity but policy alone won’t save our oceans.
“If we’re serious about tackling the plastic crisis, we must also equip ourselves with the tools to make real change.”
At the same time, as the Forum notes, the success of any global plastic treaty will depend on implementation, as countries translate the ambitions set therein into law and business practice.
“The global plastics treaty will be a milestone; whether it becomes a turning point depends on what happens next,” Chevauché added.
‘Courage, not compromise’
Elsewhere, WWF said that ‘now is the time for courage, not compromise’ when it comes to the development of a treaty fit for purpose, calling on negotiating parties to use all procedural tools available to drive actionable progress.
‘The goal cannot be consensus at all costs, dictated by the lowest common denominator; rather, states must seek the broadest possible alignment to finalise an ambitious treaty—one that matches the scale of the plastic crisis, delivers justice for affected communities, and protects generations to come,’ it said in a statement.
International cooperation
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has issued a brief calling for stronger international cooperation and science integration into any potential global plastics treaty.
The group is proposing specific language for two key articles in the treaty. With regard to Article 12, which addresses capacity building, technical assistance and technology transfer, IUCN urges the inclusion of provisions that emphasise cooperation among existing multilateral environmental agreements and organisations.
Elsewhere, in terms of Article 19, which concerns ecosystems, biodiversity and human health, IUCN is calling for greater recognition of the risks that both current and legacy plastic pollution pose to living systems, and supports incorporating references to these impacts in a standalone article or through more specific provisions in the health-related sections of the treaty.
Updates from the INC-5.2 sessions can be found here. Read more here and here.
