Sector Leaders Chart Course with Recommendations for Forthcoming UN Plastics Treaty Negotiations

BANGKOK, Oct. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

Back to Blue — issuing this press release as an initiative of the Economist Impact and in association with the Global Plastics Summit.

Amidst the escalating global plastic pollution crisis, key stakeholders from across the plastics space, NGOs, policymakers, and the scientific community, have unveiled their recommendations to guide UN negotiations on establishing an international, legally-binding treaty to combat plastic pollution. 

Delegates at the inaugural Global Plastics Summit in Bangkok propose a raft of solutions to plug gaps in a draft of a Global Plastics Treaty to ensure it is robust enough to tackle the plastics crisis. The Summit, organised by Economist Impact, is the largest and most significant assembly of stakeholders ahead of the third round of negotiations on the UN Plastics Treaty (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, INC-3), scheduled to take place in Nairobi, Kenya from 13–19 November.

Lead negotiators including Camila Zepeda, Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Gonzalo Guaiquil, Chile Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the co-chair of the INC, Luis Vayas Valdivieso were among the delegates who attended the multi-stakeholder working groups which produced the recommendations during the two-day Summit. Government leaders, renowned scientists and NGOs were also involved in the discussions as well as representatives from Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including the Vice President of Palau and Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji.

The insights developed at these discussions, which will be provided to INC-3 negotiators, included:

• Bridging Gaps: The urgent establishment of an interface to enable the global scientific community to support negotiators from the Global South, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
• Incorporating Key Voices: Stakeholders from Global South and SIDS countries to be given a prominent voice in the negotiations, including the upcoming INC-3.
• Prioritising Health: Adopt the precautionary principle regarding the health impacts of plastics and be flexible enough to continue to be tightened as the science evolves.
• Funding the Future: Explore in greater detail how public and private sector capital will be mobilised and deployed to enable global South countries to meet the obligations and needs of the treaty.
• Devil is in the Detail: Stakeholders call for urgent attention to the definitions, principles and annexes within the treaty that will prevent ambiguity that could counter decisive action. These must be finalised at INC-3.

Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean, who attended the Global Plastics Summit said: "Island nations are suffering the consequences of the world's inability to reduce its plastic production and consumption and properly manage its plastic waste. The plastic crisis is not constrained by borders - if our waters are polluted, so are yours."

Despite contributing 1.56% to the global volume of mismanaged plastic waste, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) exhibit an average per capita waste generation of 2.3kg/day — 48% higher than the world's average. This is despite many SIDS implementing bans on single-use plastics.

He added: "Plastics are a distortion of nature which is why they do not fit back when we throw them away. We have become used to the plastic age, but I remember when plastics were not being used, and so I don't accept plastic as a necessity of our life.

Speaking as a representative of the ocean, I'd like to see the UN Plastics Treaty emphasise the alternatives to plastic, alternatives that are nature friendly and thus part of a circular economy. Nature is a circular process, and the Treaty must take us towards greater respect for Nature."

As we grapple with 350 million tonnes of plastic waste annually — a figure expected to triple by 2060 — these recommendations reflect a consolidated stance. Integrating often-sidelined voices, they underscore the dire need for bold measures against the plastic crisis.

Charles Goddard, Editorial Director at Economist Impact and Chief Moderator at the Global Plastics Summit, said: "These recommendations underscore the critical importance of engaging all stakeholders in the development of the UN Plastics Treaty. The treaty must be inclusive and consider the human rights impacts of our collective failure to stop unnecessary plastic production and manage its ensuing waste."

The Global Plastics Summit was hosted in association with Back to Blue, the global ocean-health initiative of Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation. Back to Blue also conducted an on-the-ground survey at the Summit, asking delegates which policies should be prioritised in the UN's Plastics Treaty:

• 60% of the delegates want to see binding agreements, which will hold nations and businesses accountable for plastic production and waste prioritised.
• 41% of the delegates also believe that substantial and long-term financing that will support policy measures, should be a top priority for the treaty.

Charles Goddard also commented: "It is no surprise the majority of those at the Global Plastics Summit want to see the UN Plastics Treaty hold nations and businesses to account over plastic consumption and plastic waste. An ambitious treaty must work across the life cycle of plastics and include a reduction in the production of virgin plastic, alongside binding control measures, regulations and incentives to stimulate a circular economy for plastics.

Crucially, it must also build in robust financial support and resources, particularly so developing countries can implement the treaty. Otherwise we will not bend the plastic pollution curve."

In alignment with the prevailing sentiment that the UN Plastics Treaty must be inclusive, Back to Blue also unveiled its short film 'Plastic Pollution: Islands on the Frontline' during the Summit. The film sheds light on the dire, multifaceted consequences for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) amidst the overwhelming tide of plastic pollution. Enriched with contributions from the Director of the UN Environment Programme, oceanographer Erik Van Sebille and first hand testimonies from impacted communities, the film strives to enlighten the deliberations at INC-3, navigating through unexplored territories to reveal both stark realities and steadfast responses to a global crisis necessitating a consolidated international approach.

As the Vice President of Palau said in her opening address at the Summit: "We live off the sea, and so if it is polluted, it impacts not only our economy but our livelihoods."

Images: https://we.tl/t-kSe82mgfRy

Spokespeople for interview: 

• Charles Goddard: Editorial director at Economist Impact, Head of Back to Blue and Chief Moderator at the Global Plastics Summit. 

Media contact: Backtoblue@browningenvironmental.com

Supporting quotes:

Richard Thompson, marine biology scientist at the University of Plymouth commented: "A science policy process for the UN Plastics Treaty is long overdue. We need it at INC-3, and we will need it beyond the signing of the treaty. The cost of getting this wrong is immense. Yet, the cost of informing it with the best available science is miniscule in comparison."

Safiya Sawney, Senior Policy Advisor, Grenada's Environment Ministry, who attended the Global Plastics Summit said: "Grenada is one of the small island developing states advocating for the UN Plastics Treaty to be co-designed to protect those most at risk of plastic pollution and being left behind in a post-plastics era. As the third negotiations take place next month in Nairobi, Kenya, a country also suffering with plastic waste, Grenada along with the coalition of global small islands are strongly advocating for the Treaty to end plastic pollution by ensuring that technology, research and capacity building are delivered within the framework. SIDS must not be forgotten within this multilateral process."

About the Global Plastics Summit

More details about the Summit, including a downloadable event summary report and briefing paper for INC-3 created from the working groups, are on the event website.

The summit is supported by The Nippon Foundation, Minderoo Foundation, and The Pew Charitable Trusts, in association with the Back to Blue Initiative. Supporting organisations include Break Free From Plastics, Common Seas, Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), Environmental Investigation Agency, Global Plastic Action Partnership, Ocean Plastics Leadership Network, Systemiq, Global Plastics Policy Centre (University of Portsmouth), A Plastic Planet, Plastic Council.

About the Survey Method 

Back to Blue administered the survey in October 2023, distributed via email and in-person to attendees of The Global Plastics Summit, accruing 174 respondents in total, almost half of those in attendance. The survey presented participants with six potential recommendations for priorities at INC-3, including:

• Enforceable agreements to hold nations and businesses to account
• Substantial, long-term financing to support the implementation
• Finance research for plastic alternatives, recycling and waste management
• Ban or restrict the production of new plastics
• Make businesses responsible for their plastic product's entire lifecycle
• Address plastic pollution leakage at the source

About Back to Blue 

Back to Blue is an initiative by Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation aimed to focus efforts on evidence-based approaches and solutions that tackle escalating ocean challenges, posed by climate change, pollution and habitat destruction. 

While governments and policymakers have begun efforts towards restoring biodiversity and regenerating ocean health, there remains an ostensible knowledge gap on plastic and chemical pollution as well as ocean acidification. Recognising the need to stimulate fresh dialogue and solutions to pressing ocean issues, this multi-year initiative brings together both organisations' unique capabilities in ocean research and programme-building to create a powerful platform which will accelerate momentum in improving ocean health. 

About Intergovernmental Negotiating Committees (INCs) 

Intergovernmental Negotiating Committees (INCs) are being held every six months, as agreed at the UN Environmental Assembly (UNEA) in March 2022. Within them, stakeholders in business, science, academia, and civil society will present their views on the contents of the Global Plastics Treaty and the extent to which it should be legally binding. The third meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution will take place from 13–19 November in Nairobi, followed by INC-4 which will take place in April 2024 in Canada. The INCs aim to finalise the text of the treaty by the end of 2024 and set it into motion by 2025.

About Economist Impact 

Economist Impact brings informed analysis and intelligent debate to life, having hosted over 80 events in over 30 countries, convening world class leaders. The Economist Impact is well known for its sustainability events across the world, including Sustainability Week Asia, Countdown to COP, World Ocean Summit and The Energy Transition.

About The Nippon Foundation 

Established in 1962, The Nippon Foundation is Japan's largest philanthropic organisation specialising in funding projects to strengthen ocean health.