The intergovernmental committee working on a globally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, has released the fourth draft that seeks to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of plastic pollution.
- The treaty that includes pollution of the marine environment and other aquatic as well as terrestrial ecosystems by ending plastic pollution is based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic through the prevention, progressive reduction and remediation of plastic pollution, management and utilisation of plastic and plastic waste according to national priorities by 2040.
- The treaty looks to achieve sustainable development, poverty eradication and just transition, considering the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities as well as financial and technical support.
- The treaty, a step forward in addressing the issue of plastic pollution, will see further deliberations and action at Ottawa, Canada on 23–24 April.
- The draft will be re-issued as an official document in the six UN official languages at least six weeks before the fourth session of the committee.
Key elements: The draft outlines the following:
- To promote sustainable development production and consumption of plastics, with the use of the best available technologies, product design and environmentally sound waste management, including through resource efficiency and circular economy approaches;
- To promote national and international cooperative measures to reduce plastic pollution in the marine environment, including existing plastic pollution. Implementing efficient recycling systems and promoting economy, where plastic waste is reduced, reused and repurposed, can significantly decrease the environmental impact of plastics;
- The core of the plastic pollution crisis is "the resource-inefficient, linear, take-make-waste plastic economy," which should be replaced by a rational and environment friendly economy;
- Further, the scope of the future instrument should focus on development and promotion of sustainable alternatives to replace hazardous additives;
- The scope of the instrument should exclude the stages of extraction and processing of primary raw materials as well as the stages related to virgin polymer production, since no plastic pollution is generated at these stages of production and raw materials can be used for production of other non-plastic products;
- Limitations should be put on unnecessary and problematic plastic applications, to make recycling techniques more efficient and environmentally sound, and biodegradable plastics to become a suitable alternative for single use applications of ordinary plastics.
Other Issues: The draft also calls for measures, as appropriate, to not allow, to phase down or to otherwise regulate the production, sale, use, distribution, import or export of chemicals or polymers used in plastic production or plastic products that are problematic because they disproportionately contribute to plastic pollution, especially in the marine environment, or they have properties that may hinder their safe and environmentally sound management, including their reusability, repairability, recyclability and disposal.
- It stresses on the urgent need to strengthen the science-policy interface at all levels, improve understanding of the global impact of plastic pollution on the environment, and promote effective and progressive action at the local, regional and global levels, recognising the important role played by plastics in society.
- It has called for increasing the safety, repurposability, durability, reusability, and repairability of plastic products, as relevant, and their capacity to be repurposed, recycled and disposed of in a safe and environmentally sound manner upon becoming waste.
- It called to ensure that alternative plastics and plastic products are safe, environmentally sound and sustainable, based on the minimum design and performance criteria and other related elements with distinct sustainability criteria for: (i) bio-based plastics, (ii) biodegradable plastics and (iii) compostable plastics.
- The criteria shall build on a full life cycle analysis and take into account their potential for environmental, economic, social and human health impacts, including food security.
- Recognising the wide range of approaches, sustainable alternatives and technologies available to address the full life cycle of plastics, the draft further highlighted the need for enhanced international collaboration to facilitate access to technology, capacity-building, and scientific and technical cooperation, and stressing that there is no single approach,
- It underlined the importance of promoting sustainable design of products and materials so that they can be reused, remanufactured or recycled and therefore retained in the economy for as long as possible, along with the resources they are made of, and of minimising the generation of waste, which can significantly contribute to sustainable production and consumption of plastics.
