What do countries and companies want in global plastic treaty talks?

Subject: Environment

Sec: Int Conventions

Context:

Global leaders will gather in Canada’s capital this week to discuss progress in drafting a first-ever global treaty to rein in soaring plastic pollution by the end of the year.

More on news:

The hoped-for treaty, due to be agreed at the end of this year, could be the most significant deal relating to climate-warming emissions and environmental protection since the 2015 Paris Agreement, which got 195 parties to agree to keep global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5C.

What is the Global Plastic treaty?

In March 2022, the UN Environmental Assembly convened in Nairobi, Kenya, to debate the global plastic crisis.
In a historic move, 175 nations voted to adopt a global treaty for plastic pollution—agreeing on an accelerated timeline so that the treaty could be implemented as soon as 2025.

Why are we having plastic treaty talks?

At the U.N. Environmental Assembly in 2022, the world’s nations agreed to develop a legally binding agreement by the end of 2024 to address the world’s plastic pollution crisis.
The treaty is meant to address plastics through their entire lifecycle – from when they are produced, to how they are used and then disposed of.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH PLASTICS?

While plastic waste has become a global menace polluting landscapes and waterways, producing plastics involves releasing greenhouse gas emissions.
The plastic industry now accounts for 5% of global carbon emissions, which could grow to 20% by 2050 if current trends continue.
Plastic production is on track to triple by 2060 – unless the treaty sets production limits, as some have proposed. Most virgin plastic is derived from petroleum.

What do countries want in the treaty?

Many plastic and petrochemical-producing countries including Saudi Arabia, Iran and China – known collectively as the group of Like-Minded Countries – have opposed mentioning production limits.
They blocked other countries from formally working on proposed treaty language calling for production caps, chemical disclosures or reduction schedules after last year’s Nairobi session.
The 60-nation “High-Ambition Coalition”, which includes EU countries, island nations and Japan, wants to end plastic pollution by 2040.
This coalition has called for common, legally binding provisions to restrain and reduce the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels.
They also are proposing measures such as phasing out “problematic” single-use plastics and banning certain chemical additives that could carry health risks.

What does the petrochemical industry want?

The trade group Global Partners for Plastics Circularity represents major petrochemical producers including members of the American Chemistry Council and Plastics Europe.
The group argues that production caps would lead to higher prices for consumers, and that the treaty should address plastics only after they are made.
These companies want to focus on encouraging the reuse or recycling of plastics, including deploying technology that can turn plastic into fuel.

What do corporate brands want?

More than 200 consumer-facing companies including Unilever, PepsiCo and Walmart have joined the so-called Business Coalition for a Plastics Treaty.
Like the petrochemical industry, these companies that rely on plastic packaging for their products have been a major presence in the plastics negotiations.
They support a treaty that includes production caps, use restrictions and phase-outs, reuse policies, product design requirements, extended producer responsibility, and waste management.