The third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3) has just concluded.
The event took place in Nairobi, Kenya, at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the world's leading authority on the environment, between November 13 and 19, 2023.
It all began in March 2022 with the fifth meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2), UNEP's supreme body, consisting of representatives of the 193 UN member states, business, civil society, and other stakeholders.
Recognizing that "the high and rapidly increasing levels of plastic pollution represent a serious environmental problem on a global scale, with a negative impact on the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development," a landmark resolution was adopted at that meeting, in which a commitment to the development of a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, was put in writing.
To achieve its goal, UNEP created an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), which began its work in the second half of 2022, with the ambition of completing negotiations by the end of 2024.
The INC aims to develop a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, which could include both binding and voluntary approaches based on a global vision that addresses the entire life cycle of plastics, considering, among other things, the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, as well as national circumstances and capacities.
For several years, plastic pollution has been a major issue raised by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) and other global forums.
The fossil fuel industry has long regarded plastics as a kind of lifeline. In the period between 2000 and 2019, global production of plastic polymers grew twice as fast, reaching 460 million tons per year. Projections indicate that by 2050 this figure could nearly triple from the levels recorded in 2019.
According to the United Nations Environment Program, less than 10 percent of it is recycled, choking landfills and depleting oceans. And again, according to the same source, about 98 percent of single-use plastics, such as bottles or packaging, are derived from fossil fuels.
More than 900 chemicals in packaging have been identified, and 148 of these have been identified as harmful. Workers and users are exposed to these chemicals even before they become waste.
After meetings in Punta del Este, Uruguay, and Paris, France, the midway point of negotiations in Nairobi was reached in November 2023.
At its second session, the INC requested the committee chair to prepare a Zero Draft, a zero draft of the international legally binding instrument required by UNEA Resolution 5/14, for consideration during the third session.
During discussions around the coercive force with which the future "instrument" should be characterized, different positions emerged.
The European Union, Japan, Canada, and Kenya argued for a strong treaty with binding provisions aimed at reducing the production and use of virgin plastic polymers. They would also like to eliminate or limit the use of the most problematic plastics. In contrast, the plastics industry, oil companies and petrochemical exporters such as Saudi Arabia have opposed such stringent measures, arguing the need to focus on recycling and reuse of plastics, emphasizing a more circular approach.
The United States, initially in favor of national plans, has instead supported a treaty based on multilateralism, with globally agreed targets.
The International Council of Chemical Associations echoes this sentiment, stressing the importance of ending plastic pollution rather than limiting its production.
On the other hand, producers of oil, gas, and petrochemicals fear that a treaty of this nature would hinder fossil fuel sales. Saudi Arabia, along with other nations, recently launched a coalition that supports measures focused on waste rather than production controls. Environmental groups have stressed the need for concrete and swift action, hoping to avoid delays caused by procedural disputes.
The third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3) ended without winners or losers. The delegates present approved dates for their already scheduled fourth meeting in Ottawa, Canada, for April 2024 and agreed to a fifth meeting in late November in Busan, Korea.
In addition, the Secretariat was instructed by the delegates to draft a new Zero Draft, revised from the positions that emerged, to be used as the basis for INC-4 discussions.
Translated by Denise Praticò.