Businesses rally behind the development of a global treaty at INC-2

Debating into the dead of night – the intergovernmental negotiating committee of over 170 country delegates and observers kept many of us at the edge of our seats. After all, there is a lot at stake: like the climate and the biodiversity crises, plastic pollution is now also officially a planetary crisis. A UN Treaty on Plastics will have the ability to change this and can have a profound impact on the way we produce and consume plastics.

Such a treaty has the potential to:

provide an effective international policy framework;
stimulate, coordinate, and align national policies and actions towards a common global strategic direction;
create the enabling conditions for the much needed investments in infrastructure, innovation, and skills worldwide.

Last year, governments at the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly - UNEA 5 - agreed to negotiate an internationally legal binding instrument by 2024. The second round of negotiations took place all this week, in host city Paris.

The vast majority of countries believe that legally binding global rules and harmonised policies are critical to drive change at a global scale to end plastic pollution. More than 130 member states have specifically called for binding rules that will create a level playing field for all businesses. A solid foundation has been laid by the dialogue amongst governments during the negotiations this week in Paris, and we hope to see this taken forward through the development of an initial “zero draft” of the treaty before the next round of negotiations in Nairobi, in November of this year.

After last night’s late-night discussions, we have only today to conclude and agree on procedural next steps. In the upcoming months, much work will be needed to advance towards the content of a Global Plastics Treaty. So, although the procedural delays and lengthy political procedures have caused frustration amongst many of the attendees, there were also many promising developments.
For example, the Business Coalition, which represents over 100 leading companies across the value chain, from plastic converters, product and packaging manufacturing to consumer brand owners, retailers and waste management companies, and financial institutions, which has now committed to supporting the development of a global UN treaty to end plastic pollution. This is encouraging, as businesses typically voice discontent at the idea of (even more) regulations.

An important recurring insight this week was that ambitious goals and aspirations to end plastic pollution in a treaty have little value on their own, if no clear policy measures are drafted to help us get there. Today, hopefully, we can get a ‘go’ on preparing a zero draft, addressing the key elements now being discussed. We have a rare and real opportunity to make a positive change to our world by reassessing how we make, use, and think about plastic. My call upon companies in the plastics industry: join in supporting this process, to end plastic pollution.