A WWF policy brief analysing the third iteration of the “non-paper,” a document that will serve as the basis of negotiations at INC-5, the fifth and final round of negotiations for the world’s first treaty to end plastic pollution, finds the document lacking in core measures that would make the resulting treaty fit for purpose.
While the “non-paper” provides a clearer and cleaner starting point for negotiations than the unwieldy 70-page draft produced at INC-4, WWF cautions that significant gaps remain that negotiators must immediately rectify. These gaps include the lack of explicit text to ban and phase out the most harmful plastic products and chemicals of concern; a similar lack of clarity on whether product design requirements will be mandatory, and not just encouraged; and the level of funding that countries need to commit and how such resources will be disbursed.
Most importantly, the current proposal could allow a single Party to veto any future decisions by the treaty’s governing body. WWF warns that this can result in a stagnant and dead treaty, incapable of adapting to changing developments and circumstances in the future.
“A global plastic pollution treaty that is fit for purpose is one that is undiluted, that includes binding global bans and phase-outs, product and systems design requirements, implementation support and mechanisms for gradual strengthening,” said Eirik Lindebjerg, Global Plastics Policy Lead at WWF. “The “non-paper” puts the negotiation process back on track by offering a much-needed and more accessible document for negotiating key measures, but it lacks specificity and well-defined content that assures us we will get a strong, ambitious treaty. We still need to see a significantly higher level of improvement to the treaty’s text. It is now up to the countries that want a strong treaty to ramp up ambition and make this a reality — a reality they promised us two years ago.”
Related Articles: What You Need to Know About the UN’s Draft Global Plastics Treaty | WWF Calls for a Global Ban on ‘Harmful and Unnecessary’ Single-Use Plastic Items Ahead of Key UN Plastic Pollution Treaty Talks | Draft Global Plastics Treaty Shows Promise | New UN Treaty Focused on Plastic Pollution | UN Treaty On Plastic Pollution: A Global Action Plan | Cities Are Key to the Success of the Global Plastics Treaty
WWF calls on countries to secure at INC-5 a treaty that includes four essential binding global measures across the entire plastic lifecycle:
-
Global bans and phase-outs of the most harmful and problematic plastic products and chemicals;
-
Global product design requirements to ensure all plastic we continue to produce is safe to reuse and recycle as part of a global, non-toxic circular economy;
-
Aligning financial flows and resources to support nations in a just transition;
-
Future-proofing the treaty through mechanisms that guarantee strengthening over time.
“The global plastic pollution crisis can only be addressed if all these measures are included in the treaty. If countries cannot reach a consensus, then the majority of countries that want a strong treaty should be ready to vote for a treaty that includes all four measures. Countries that want a strong treaty must push ahead with one, even if this means not all countries will ratify it, or be ready to take the decision to another forum. A treaty with binding measures supported by the majority of countries will be far more effective than a voluntary-based treaty supported by all countries,” said Lindebjerg.
Luis Vayas Valdivieso, an Ecuadorian diplomat tasked with chairing INC-5, first proposed the “non-paper” in late September, to streamline negotiations. At that point, the draft text compiled at INC-4 was a hefty tome that contained large sections left in brackets, signalling a lack of agreement on either the language used or whether negotiators wanted the text in the treaty. Since then, the non-paper has been updated twice, culminating in the current third iteration, which is likely the last time it will be updated before INC-5.
The non-paper creates a basis for negotiations at INC-5, and countries will have a week from 25 November to 1 December in Busan, Republic of Korea, to agree on measures that can put an end to plastic pollution.
** **
This article was originally published by WWF and is republished here as part of an editorial collaboration with WWF.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Cover Photo: Plastic bags. Cover Photo Credit: Anna Shvets.
