On Tuesday 8 July, the EFRA Committee will hold a one-off
evidence session focusing on the Global Plastics Treaty, as part
of its broader inquiry into a circular
economy.
The fifth and final round of negotiations for a new Global
Plastics Treaty was intended to finish in November 2024 in South
Korea. However, the talks ended without an agreement and another
round of talks is scheduled to take place between 5 and 14 August
2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The session next week will be an opportunity for MPs to explore
the key proposed elements of the Treaty, the UK's leadership on
the issues, and the barriers that need to be overcome to achieve
an agreement in the August talks.
In the two-panel session, the Committee will first hear from
representatives from Greenpeace and the Waste Law Research Group,
as well as Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS, an expert on
plastic pollution and Co-ordinator of the Scientists' Coalition
for an Effective Plastics Treaty.
MPs will explore why a Global Plastics Treaty is necessary and
what key elements the UK delegation should be pushing for in
Geneva, as well as how the UK could use its soft power to help
facilitate constructive negotiations. Members will also ask
witnesses for their views on how the Treaty should deal with
chemicals of concern in plastics, and how it should incorporate
the most up to date scientific understanding of these chemicals,
and their impact.
In the second panel, the Committee will question the
Vice-President of Sustainability at Coca-Cola European Partners
(CCEP), the world's largest independent Coca-Cola bottler, as
well as the Head of Investor Relations at INEOS Group, the
British Plastics Federation's Sustainability Manager, and the
Head of Recycling Policy at the Environmental Services
Association.
MPs will ask the industry representatives what they would like to
see the UK delegation prioritise at the August negotiations, the
extent of their engagement with the Global Plastics Treaty
process so far, and what the implications of a Treaty on their
sector would be, as well as what impact it might have on product
prices.
Witnesses on 8 July
At 10am:
- Rudy Schulkind, Political Campaigner, Greenpeace
UK
- Dr Allison Lindner, Founder and Chair, Waste Law Research
Group
- Prof Richard Thompson OBE FRS, Professor of Marine Biology at
the University of Plymouth and Co-coordinator of the Scientists'
Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty
At 11am:
- Dr Peter , Group Technology Director and
Head of Investor Relations, INEOS Group
- Joe Franses, Vice-President, Sustainability, Coca-Cola
Europacific Partners
- Patrick Brighty, Head of Recycling Policy, Environmental
Services Association
- Helen Jordan, Sustainability Manager, British Plastics
Federation
