As global treaty talks enter final phase, businesses must play key role in ending plastic pollution
Whatever the outcome of the upcoming plastics treaty negotiations, businesses must continue to push policy further and faster. Read More
In 2016, the world was shocked by the prospect of a future in which there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean.
Representing about 20 percent of the plastic packaging market, the Global Commitment, convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the United Nations Environment Programme, has shown it is possible to make meaningful progress to tackle this crisis, with signatories avoiding 2.8 million metric tons of virgin plastic per year. But voluntary agreements alone are not enough, and we need a legally binding treaty to steer the full market away from business as usual.
Since 2022, an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC) has been working to develop an international legally binding instrument that will tackle the plastic pollution crisis in a globally coordinated way, and talks will resume Nov. 25-Dec. 1.
Global rules can unlock speed and scale
Businesses need global rules to effectively — and rapidly — scale up proven solutions at a systems level. A global treaty can ensure that all countries act in concert to unlock circular economy solutions to achieve a future where plastic never becomes waste. Harmonized global policy will allow businesses to reap the benefits of enhanced investment planning, stimulated innovation and coordinated infrastructure development.
While the latest scientific analysis shows that global rules are the most effective way to avoid plastic pollution, businesses also want global rules. The Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty unites businesses, financial institutions and NGOs — more than 250 of them — behind a common vision for a global treaty which brings plastics into a circular economy.
Many businesses are also taking voluntary action by joining the Global Commitment and Plastics Pact Network to tackle plastic waste. The unprecedented transparency created by these initiatives have demonstrated which solutions will be most effective to scale, and that progress is possible.
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From first steps to final rounds – the journey to end plastic pollution
United Nations member states will meet in Busan, Republic of Korea, from Nov. 25 to Dec. 1 for the fifth and final planned round of negotiations. The talks have progressed over a very short timeframe, producing a blend of triumphs and challenges.
From a historic resolution in 2022 when 175 nations voted to adopt a global treaty for plastic pollution, to a solid foundation being laid at INC-2 in Paris the following year, delegates had been taking moderate steps to advance on potential treaty provisions. It became more challenging to advance the negotiating process when an initial “zero draft” was discussed at INC-3 in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2023. The meeting generated a proliferation of alternative text proposals.
Throughout the process, there have been calls by some countries to limit the scope of the treaty to only downstream measures, such as waste management. For an effective, meaningful treaty, we need a comprehensive circular economy approach that tackles all areas of the plastics value chain. With only 9 percent of plastic waste getting recycled, upstream action is critical to eliminate problematic plastics, innovate product design and business models, and scale the necessary infrastructure to collect, sort, and recycle plastic after use.
Despite the absence of intersessional work on the treaty text, things were looking up at the second-to-last round of negotiations in Ottawa, Canada, in April, with definitive steps made to streamline the text in many priority areas and discussions elevated on key topics, such as the mobilization of financial resources.
With limited time left for negotiations, reaching an agreement on everything at INC-5 will be challenging. Not all members agree on addressing the full life cycle of plastics, preferring to focus on recycling. Others are divided by legally binding global rules versus nationally determined measures.
With a strong urge to not give up on ambition, Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso of Ecuador, chair of the negotiating committee, has published a third iteration of his “Non-Paper,” a revision of the draft treaty text, ahead of INC-5. While Vayas’ efforts will facilitate further discussions in Busan, as long as all member states support the “Non-Paper 3.0,” the text’s current form does not create the necessary enabling conditions to deliver an ambitious, effective and binding policy framework. Measures such as phasing out problematic and avoidable plastics are undefined; structures to work on immediate priorities are lacking, and alignment on strengthening the treaty over time is unresolved.
Business can push policy further, faster
The work toward ending plastic pollution will go beyond a global treaty. Significant progress by businesses is already underway. In particular, brand and retail signatories of the Global Commitment have more than doubled the share of post-consumer recycled content in their plastic packaging from about 4.7 percent in 2018 to about 13.6 percent in 2023, while the global market increased by a mere 1 percentage point. But individual business action can only drive the transition so far, and existing efforts must be complemented by collective industry action.
Leading businesses can join forces to accelerate action on the ground and collectively advocate for the policy measures that allow proven solutions to be sufficiently scaled to make real impact. This ambitious business action leads to more ambitious policy. When policy breaks down a barrier, industry leaders can raise the bar even higher, creating an “ambition loop” in which business and policy action build off each other. This will move the process further faster, and businesses acting now will be positioned as front-runners ahead of forthcoming legislation.
Bolder action must pick up the pace
We don’t know what will happen in Busan, or if more negotiations will be needed. But the plastic pollution crisis is a global and systemic issue that has no one solution. All actors play an important role. This is a global challenge that requires businesses and governments to act in concert, and continuously push each other forward, to quickly and effectively scale the solutions we already know will have meaningful, lasting impact.
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