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Sector Leaders Chart Course with Recommendations for Forthcoming UN Plastics Treaty Negotiations
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 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
The insights developed at these discussions, which will be provided to INC-3 negotiators, included:
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: "
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.
The Global Plastics Summit was hosted in association with Back to Blue , the global ocean-health initiative of Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation.
In alignment with the prevailing sentiment that the UN Plastics Treaty must be inclusive, Back to Blue also unveiled its 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 said in her opening address at the Summit:
Images: https://we.tl/t-kSe82mgfRy
Spokespeople for interview :
Media contact: Backtoblue@browningenvironmental.com
Supporting quotes :
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
Established in 1962, The Nippon Foundation is Japan's largest philanthropic organisation specialising in funding projects to strengthen ocean health.
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