Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (): Plastic pollution is one of
the greatest environmental challenges the planet faces. The world
produces 400 million tonnes of plastic waste each year.
Scientists predict there will be a threefold increase in the
amount of plastic entering the ocean between 2016 and 2040. A
global agreement on plastic pollution is urgently needed to
coordinate a response to this complex issue.
UNEA Resolution 5/14 initiated discussions to agree an
internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution,
including in the marine environment. An intergovernmental
negotiating committee was established with the ambition of
completing its work by the end of 2024. The fifth and final
planned meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee is
being held in Busan, the Republic of Korea, from 25 November to 1
December 2024.
The draft Treaty under discussion includes provisions on
production and consumption of primary plastic polymers;
problematic products and chemicals of concern in plastic; product
design; waste management; emissions and releases of plastic into
the environment; existing plastic pollution; just transition;
financial assistance, technology transfer and capacity building;
implementation and compliance; national plans; reporting;
effectiveness evaluation and monitoring; awareness raising,
education and research; health and final provisions on processes
necessary for the establishment of an international treaty.
The Government has an ambition to catalyse the transition to a
circular economy and the treaty is one of the key levers
available to us to achieve the systems-wide changes needed to
make that a reality.
Plastic waste has for too long littered our streets, polluted
Britan's waterways and threatened our wildlife. This Government
is committed to cleaning up Britain and cracking down on plastic
waste. We will roll out extended producer responsibility to
incentivise businesses to cut plastic packaging and the Deposit
Return Scheme to incentivise consumers to recycle.
The UK is an active member of the High Ambition Coalition, a
group of 67 countries seeking an ambitious treaty that will end
plastic pollution by 2040 by taking a full-lifecycle approach. At
INC-5 we will continue to take a leadership role and work closely
with other countries to push for agreement of an ambitious and
effective treaty in Busan. The science tells us that to be
effective we must take action at all stages of the plastics
lifecycle from production to waste management and emissions.
In developing the UK negotiating approach we have worked closely
with Devolved Governments and UK Overseas Territories as well as
a wide range of stakeholders, including producers, manufacturers,
retailers, eNGOs and academia. On 6 November, I hosted a
roundtable on the treaty for leading businesses and financial
organisations ahead of His Majesty's International Sustainability
Reception. Participants of the roundtable agreed a statement
calling for an ambitious treaty that will create a more
harmonised regulatory environment and a level playing field.
The UK remains committed to securing an agreement in Busan as a
critical step towards ensuring the global action needed to end
plastic pollution by 2040.
