First round of talks for a global plastic treaty was not a success

First round of talks for a global plastic treaty was not a success

Subject: Environment

Context:

• On December 2, 2022, negotiators responsible for carving out a global treaty on ending plastic pollution by 2024 concluded their first ever meeting in Punta Del Este, Uruguay.

Global Plastics Outlook: Economic Drivers, Environmental Impacts and Policy Options:

• Report published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
• Major highlights:
  • The amount of plastic waste produced globally is on track to almost triple by 2060, with around half ending up in landfill and less than a fifth recycled.
  • The report says that without radical action to curb demand, increase product lifespans and improve waste management and recyclability, plastic pollution will rise in tandem with an almost threefold increase in plastics use driven by rising populations and incomes.
  • The report estimates that almost two-thirds of plastic waste in 2060 will be from short-lived items such as packaging, low-cost products and textiles.
  • Growth will be fastest in developing and emerging countries in Africa and Asia, although OECD countries will still produce much more plastic waste per person (238 kg per year on average) in 2060 than non-OECD countries (77 kg).

Policies to reduce the environmental impacts of plastics and encourage a more circular use of them should include:

• Taxes on plastics, including on plastic packaging
• Incentives to reuse and repair plastic items
• Targets for recycled content in new plastic products
• Extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes
• Improved waste management infrastructure
• Increased litter collection rates

Global Efforts To Tackle plastic pollution:

• Legal efforts have been made at the international and national levels to address marine pollution.
• The most important are:
  • The 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter (or the London Convention)
  • The 1996 Protocol to the London Convention (the London Protocol)
  • The 1978 Protocol to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
  • The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) considers plastic marine debris and its ability to transport harmful substances as one of the main emerging issues affecting the environment.
  • At the 2015 G7 summit in Bavaria, Germany, the risks of microplastics were acknowledged in the Leaders’ Declaration.
  • GloLitter Partnerships (GLP): It is a project launched by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and initial funding from the Government of Norway.
  • Clean Seas Campaign:
    • The United Nations Environment Programme launched the Clean Seas Campaign in 2017
    • Aim: The goal was to galvanise a global movement to turn the tide on plastic by reducing the use of unnecessary, avoidable and problematic plastics including single-use plastics and phasing out intentionally added microplastics.

Steps taken by india:

• India has embarked on the journey to end plastic pollution by taking sound and effective measures through EPR on plastic packaging as well as putting a ban on single-use plastic items having low utility and high littering potential,
• The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 clearly stipulate that urban local bodies (ULBs) should ban less than 50 micron thick plastic bags and not allow usage of recycled plastics for packing food, beverage or any other eatables.
  • The Rules also require that local bodies should provide separate collection, storage and processing of plastic waste in their areas.
• The government has set an ambitious target of eliminating single-use plastics by 2022.
• India is a signatory to MARPOL (International Convention on Prevention of Marine Pollution).
• The Centre has also recently issued fresh guidelines for manufacturers, brand owners, importers of plastics making it mandatory to recycle and has drawn up a pathway to incorporate the large informal sector, which is involved in plastic recycling, in a more formal circular economy.
• The “India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021
• It is a unique competition calling upon start-ups / entrepreneurs and students of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to develop innovative solutions to mitigate plastic pollution and develop alternatives to single-use plastics.
  • Swachh Bharat Mission
  • India Plastics Pact
  • Project REPLAN
  • Un-Plastic Collective
  • GoLitter Partnerships Project