UN Global Plastics Treaty: Agreement on intersessional work and advancement of draft

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The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4), held in Ottawa, Canada from 20 to 29 April 2024, concluded with significant strides toward a global treaty to combat plastic pollution. More than 2,500 delegates from 170 countries and over 480 observer organisations, including NGOs, intergovernmental organizations, and UN entities, convened to push forward for the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. An analysis of the participants by the Center for International Environmental Law also found that, compared to INC-3, 37% more lobbyists (196) for the fossil fuel and chemical industries were present, outnumbering the European Union representants (180 delegates).

Focus on problematic and avoidable plastics

The good preparation and high motivation of the delegates led to a productive session in Ottawa. During the week-long meeting, negotiations focused on refining the revised draft text of the treaty. Key discussions spanned various essential topics, such as emissions and releases, production, product design, waste management, and financing. By placing a special focus on problematic and avoidable plastics, the urgency of addressing these issues was emphasised.

Agreement on the scope of the agreement is still pending

However, two topics stood out to be problematic to find an agreement on: the scope of the treaty as well as its financing. Thus, the High Ambition Coalition for a Plastic Treaty, a group of 66 ‘ambitious’ countries, is calling for the agreement to cover the entire life cycle of plastics. Many other countries support this demand. Plastic-producing countries, on the other hand, do not consider the source of pollution in the early stages of the cycle. They prefer to only have the treaty target the consumption of products made of plastics and the management of their end-of-life. In contrast, to emphasise their position, over two dozen member states (such as France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Peru, Nigeria, Australia) signed the “Bridge to Busan Declaration on Primary Plastic Polymers”, calling for including the production of plastic polymers to the agreement. This could include production ceilings, reduction targets or other constraints. So far, only Rwanda and Peru put forward a proposal including concrete figures, proposing a cut of 40 % in the production of virgin plastic between 2025 and 2040.

Preparations for the next meeting are already underway

When it comes to financing the fight against plastic pollution, no consens was found so far: Proposals were raised such as the launch of a new fund or to have the plastic industry finance the fight completely. The European Union favours linking funding to specific targets and measures. In contrast, Ghana proposed the introduction of a tax on virgin polymers.

A significant outcome from INC-4 is the consensus on intersessional work. This preparatory effort involves expert meetings intended to catalyse alignment on contentious issues, paving the way for a comprehensive treaty. Additionally, the creation of an open-ended Legal Drafting Group was agreed upon. This group will play a pivotal role in ensuring the legal robustness and clarity of the revised draft text during the next session, INC-5, scheduled 25 November to 1 December 2024 in Busan, South Korea.

Significant progress achieved in Ottawa

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, highlighted the progress made in Ottawa and the critical path ahead. Both goals – advancing the text as well as agreeing on intersessional work – were achieved during this summit.

The roadmap to Busan is marked by a strong commitment to tackle the plastic pollution crisis head-on. The upcoming session in Busan represents not just the final meeting of the INC process but potentially leading to a global environmental agreement with similar significance as the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

As the negotiations draw nearer to their conclusion, the stakes remain high, with the global community watching closely. The treaty aims to provide a structured and legally binding framework to reduce plastic pollution, safeguarding the environment for future generations by the end of 2024.

What happens next?

The intersessional work will take place. There will be two groups: Whereas one group will focus on financial resources, the other will develop proposals for binding regulations, with the potential for limiting or banning certain dangerous substances and avoidable plastics. The next session will take place 25 November to 1 December 2024 in Busan, South Korea (INC-5).