Global meet set to begin final negotiations on a treaty to end plastic pollution

• Can India lead the way to develop a global criteria for ban on single-use plastics, asks Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) -- India has already introduced a resolution to that effect 
• CSE team to attend the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee session (INC 5) on ending plastic pollution globally; meeting being held in Busan, South Korea from November 25, 2024  

New Delhi/Busan (South Korea), November 22, 2024: As the world gets ready to meet in Busan, South Korea next week for the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee session (INC 5) on ending plastic pollution, India could lead the world towards the development of  a global criteria for single-use plastics ban, say researchers from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) who have closely followed the negotiations through the years. 

In March 2022, the world had come together to agree on a ground-breaking United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution 5/14 to “End Plastic Pollution”. The resolution mandated the creation of the INC to arrive at a legally binding instrument. 

After four rounds of negotiations in Punte Del Este, Paris, Nairobi and Ottawa, this fifth and final round of negotiations in Busan -- between November 25 and December 1, 2024 – is where the member states are expected to try and build consensus on a host of issues related to plastic pollution. 

According to the UNEP, problematic, unnecessary and avoidable (single-use) plastics represent 36 per cent of the plastic production in the world. Of this, an estimated 85 per cent is mismanaged – which means they end up in the environment and pollute it. Says Sunita Narain, director general, CSE: “141 countries across the globe have banned or restricted some form of plastic products, indicating a high willingness among member states to take action. However, inconsistencies in regulations across countries or provinces and states have rendered the implementation of these bans more challenging than anticipated.” 

India introduced a resolution in UNEA 4, aimed at "ending single-use plastic product pollution." Says Atin Biswas, programme director, Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy, CSE: “The country is positioning itself as a leader in efforts to eliminate single-use plastics at both regional and national levels.” 

In 2019, the Government of India had developed a criteria-based framework to identify problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic products. A total of 40 single-use plastic products, including carry bags, small plastic bottles, intravenous (saline) bottles and tea bags were evaluated using this criteria-based method – which was then used to phase out 19 single-use plastic items that were banned from production, stocking, distribution, sale, and use from the Indian market. 

Adds Biswas: “The criteria developed by India, guided by its ministry of chemicals and fertilisers, along with support and inputs from other member states advocating for a global criteria-based approach, can serve as a foundation for creating a comprehensive, logical, and science-based global framework for problematic, unnecessary, and avoidable plastic products including single-use plastic products.” 

At the INC meetings, a criteria-based approach has been advocated by many countries. “Overall, the idea of developing and embracing global criteria for problematic, unnecessary, or avoidable plastic products under the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution enjoys support from at least 70 member states,” says Siddharth G Singh, programme manager, Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy, CSE. 

CSE’s analysis of the existing Indian criteria for problematic and mismanaged single-use plastic and those proposed in the Report of the Co-Chairs of the ‘Ad hoc intersessional open-ended expert group’ reveals significant alignments and overlaps between India’s national ban framework and the global ban proposals from these countries. Says Singh: “Commonalities include criteria such as littering propensity, environmental impact, recyclability, essentiality, collectability, and availability of alternatives. India's approach additionally considers aspects like product safety and social and economic impacts.”

The third version of the INC Chair's non-paper notes that Article 3 on Plastic Products (and Chemicals) of Concern could incorporate criteria for identifying specific (short-lived and single-use) plastic products. It also outlines a proposed process or framework for the Conference of Parties (COP) to identify additional plastic products subject to regulation and establish a process for reviewing the list. 

Harmonisation and creating a level playing field for businesses would be a step to avoid unnecessary economic costs. Says Narain: “The significant alignments  indicate that the groundwork for global consensus is already in place. By building on these shared principles and drawing from successful national models, the international community can establish a cohesive, science-driven approach to ensure global consistency in tackling problematic, unnecessary and avoidable single-use plastic products.” 

Find more about CSE at INC 5 click here

For more details and interviews etc, please connect with Sukanya Nair at sukanya.nair@cseindia.org, 8816818864.