Dr. Arvind Kumar*
The triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss and pollution and waste is upon us and bearing down harder every year. If we do not act strongly, this crisis will crush our chances of delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals. We can forget about ending hunger and poverty, delivering peace and equity, and living in harmony with the natural world. Without a change in policy and management, plastic waste is modeled to triple by 2060 compared to 2019. Even with far-reaching actions, 710 million metric tons of plastic waste will enter environments from 2016 to 2040. Plastic, a currently indispensable manmade material, is wreaking havoc on environmental ecosystems all over planet Earth. With over 6.5 billion tonnes circulating on the planet, plastic pollution has been found in every ecosystem, from the highest peaks to the deepest depths. Micro- and nano-plastic particles have also been observed in human placenta, blood, and breast milk, posing threats to human health due to the toxic additives in plastic products.
In recognition of the impacts of plastic emissions to both human health and the environment, in March 2022 the world welcomed the historic resolution 5/14 adopted by the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) to “End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument”. This resolution is a testament to global coordination, cooperation and meaningful multistakeholder engagement. We all know the damage plastic pollution is causing, particularly to the blue planet and also know the benefits a comprehensive circular economy approach to plastics would bring – slashing the volume of plastics entering the oceans, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, saving money and creating jobs. So, allow me to drill down on the critical elements that I believe are necessary for the final agreement to be meaningful, impactful and effective – and therefore – be able to stop plastic pollution.
The have-alls in the legally binding instrument
As I see it, at the top level, the deal must be ambitious, well-designed, and inclusive. The deal should include clear, defined, and monitorable targets – against which Member States can measure progress. The deal should recognize that our societies and economies depend on plastics, but that it is a product that should generally not be for single-use. The deal needs to be inclusive and address the concerns of all countries and those that work within the plastics economy. The deal must cover the full life cycle of plastics use. Consider different types of polymers and plastic products. Prioritize sustainable consumption and production, including the uptake of secondary and alternative raw materials. Deploy innovative reuse models. Design products that keep the highest value when recycling plastic. Address the chemical contents in the plastics we use to enable safe reuse and recycling. Develop safe and environmentally sound waste management. Eliminate residual waste along the value chain. We aren’t exactly reinventing the wheel, but we do need to ensure that the plastics industry rolls in the right direction. And that means a radical transformation. The deal must rely on science to identify hotspots for action along the value chain – looking at the most impactful polymers, products, sectors, geographic locations and waste systems. Science has laid out the full scale of plastic pollution problem. It must be our guide as we fix the problem.
The objective of the instrument (International legally binding instrument, informally known as the Global Plastic Treaty or GPT) should clearly define its scope to end plastic pollution, and plan to reduce (over a period of ‘X’ years) production and consumption of plastics and chemicals used in plastics, especially by businesses. It is important to identify and stop the production of non-recyclable (terminologies used in the UNEA options paper are problematic / unnecessary / avoidable) plastics like carry (carrier) bags and multi-layered packaging material. Certain priority sectors like packaging have been using an unsustainable quantum of plastics (typically single-use) — they should be regulated and have to be incorporated in the National Action Plans (NAP) and the national reporting system under implementation measures. Under core obligations, transparency with respect to production, consumption and import / export of plastic and plastic waste has to be created and nurtured at a global level. Control measures have to be focused on differentiating between recycling and disposal (waste-to-energy and co-incineration) technologies. Many countries have expressed that compostable and biodegradable plastics are the solutions to the plastic crisis. However, it should be brought to the knowledge of the member states that bioplastics come with their own set of challenges and do little to tackle the plastic problem at source.
Way Forward
The deal must account for the realities and complexities of the market – hear and understand the voices of plastic-dependent industries and grassroots communities, including waste pickers and others. In this regard, I was pleased to see that multi-stakeholder dialogues were part and parcel of all INC meetings. We will need governments, the private sector, research and development communities, indigenous peoples, the informal sector, youth, civil society organizations and consumer-based organizations. We will need everyone to land and implement the deal. It is important to remember that this is not just about ending an environmental threat. It is about creating new economic opportunities and alleviating poverty. Because the truth is we cannot recycle our way out of this mess. Recycling infrastructure is unable to cope with today’s volumes. Waterfalls of virgin plastic are cascading into the system at one end. Our recycling systems are akin to running around with pots at the other end, catching only a fraction of this torrent to put back into the system. Simply investing in bigger pots and more people to carry them will not fix the problem. We are talking about new business models, new jobs, new market opportunities for recycling and new and alternative designs, materials, and products. Social and policy innovation to nudge behaviour changes in actions of different stakeholders along the plastics life cycle. Let’s view this as creating a new economy, not destroying an old one.
We can learn much from, and build upon, existing instruments – from the Montreal Protocol to the Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm and Minamata Conventions. But we should also innovate. We can find new pathways for modern, inclusive and networked multilateralism to give a broader set of stakeholders a voice – and give industry a chance to commit and measure them or be measured against agreed targets. We are living through difficult times. But what I have seen this year – in terms of UNEA, in terms of the progress on plastic pollution, in terms of the growing societal movement for a healthy environment – reassures me that we can turn things around. It will take leadership to deliver – while ensuring a just transition for workers in the informal waste sector and everybody involved in the plastics industry.
The instrument must have provisions on National Action Plans and National Reporting mechanisms as core obligations. These should require respective countries to plan concrete roadmaps and targets as well as collect and present clear data and evidence. By doing so, we can ensure that every country’s progress in their actions is monitored in a transparent and comparable manner. Member States should lead by example. Champion key solutions. Be bold. Full stakeholder engagement isn’t an add-on, it’s fundamental. The informal sector, indigenous peoples, local communities, civil society, academia and youth, nobody should be kept on the outside looking in. The private sector must be part of the solution. To this key group I would say: do not wait for the agreement. If transforming the plastics industry is a good idea under the agreement – and it is – it is also a good idea now. It is a no-regrets strategy. Yes, engage fully in the INC process, but start innovating your way away from plastic pollution immediately. It is crucial that we maintain high ambition on the triple planetary crisis, in the interests of not only citizens, but the rest of the planet. I look forward to working with you to shift the needle even further into the green.
*President, India Water Foundation
