Pacific Environment at the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations
Driving global action against plastic pollution
In 2022, the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) adopted a historic resolution to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. These negotiations, known as INC, began during the second half of 2022, with the ambition to complete the negotiations by the end of 2024. Pacific Environment has attended the negotiations as an observer. We promote a comprehensive, binding agreement that addresses plastic’s full life cycle.
This November, global leaders will gather in Busan, Republic of Korea for the fifth — and final — session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) on Plastic Pollution. Our team will be attending alongside other NGOs, scientists, Indigenous community members, frontline and fenceline communities, healthcare workers, waste pickers and others. Explore our key insights and resources as we push for meaningful, lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.
Our main goals
At INC-5, we will continue to advocate for a binding international agreement to tackle plastic pollution at every stage — from production to disposal. Our primary goals include:
Securing a strong treaty framework
Secure a strong, substantive treaty that addresses plastic’s impacts across the entire plastic life cycle, with enforceable regulations on production, design and disposal.
Promoting science-based solutions
Center climate and health science as well as frontline and Indigenous expertise, including reducing plastic production by at least 75% and the elimination of harmful chemicals, including hazardous polymers.
Supporting a just transition
Champion a treaty that elevates the concerns and expertise of waste pickers and informal recyclers and ensure high-quality, safe jobs through a just transition. We also call for a dedicated financing mechanism to support the transition away from plastic in the Global South, and ending transnational plastics waste trade.
Through these goals, we aim to secure a treaty that delivers real solutions to the global plastic crisis, protecting our oceans, communities and planet for generations to come.
Our resources
Learn more about the global plastic pollution crisis, Pacific Environment’s work to address it and how you can get involved.
OVERVIEW
Upcoming event
Rethinking plastic life during INC-5
Tuesday, November 26
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO), Room 324
About 44% of plastic produced is for single-use plastic (SUP) packaging: plastic that is used once and then disposed of. The Global Plastic Treaty presents an opportunity to develop alternatives to SUP, including economically sound, non-toxic alternative systems for product delivery.
In this panel discussion we will be covering potential transition pathways for different sectors, including tourism, healthcare, fast moving consumer goods, hospitality, as well as opportunities for the Global Plastics Treaty to support unified sectoral approaches.
