Page 24 - Plastics News Issue December 2024
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REPORT
Chair Luis Vayas weeks before INC-5 convened, suming countries should bear the burden of fi-
to reflect discussions at the meeting. Delegates nancing the cause to End Plastics Pollution.
discussed this non-paper in contact groups for
three days, before a revised version was issued Overarching to all of this was whether the future
on Friday. This revised version was discussed in treaty will include mandatory or voluntary meas-
informal consultations, open only to states, rais- ures, and whether the measures adopted will
ing questions about participation and inclusive- apply at the global or national levels. These core
ness. issues permeated discussion on every issue,
and largely remained unresolved. Unfortunately,
Despite stakeholders’ raising concerns about a discussions at the first session of INC-5 did not
lack of transparency in the process, many felt result in sufficient progress to reach agreement
that this session of the INC made considerable on the text of a new agreement to end plastic
progress to streamline ideas, and understand pollution.
“red line” issues in an effort to bridge the con-
siderable gaps between states on important is- Nothing is agreed till everything is agreed and
sues. In this regard, constructive conversations there will be INC 5.2 to discuss where it was left.
were held on issues such as product design and The Chair's fourth version of the non-paper, re-
waste management. However, delegates also leased on November 29, 2024, followed infor-
engaged in highly divergent discussions on cer- mal consultations with member states. While this
tain issues, including whether plastic products draft offered a semblance of progress, the next
and chemicals of concern and plastic supply and two days of closed-door talks appeared to mark
production, were within the UNEA-5.2 resolution a turning point. Countries like Rwanda, Mexico,
mandate. and Panama advocated for a stronger treaty,
particularly around contentious issues such as
Many countries demanded removal of Polymer plastic production and the regulation of hazard-
capping and Chemicals of Concern to be kept ous chemicals.
out of the purview of this Treaty and the treaty
concentrate on the core point of discussion to Their interventions highlighted the need for a
End Plastic Pollution. treaty that addresses the root causes of plastic
pollution rather than merely treating its symp-
Limited progress was also made in their discus- toms. These nations argued for meaningful ac-
sions on finance, although a number of ideas tion to curb production and hold industries. The
were brought to the table to further discussions, Chair's text, released on December 1, reflected
including the imposition of a primary plastic pol- significant dilution, with its ambition noticeably
ymer fee, and a remediation fund utilizing both reduced compared to earlier versions. What
public and private sources of finance. The Finan- was once a bold attempt to combat plastic pol-
cial mechanism so far discussed was purely bur- lution had been tempered into a document that
densome for the developing economies hence secured broad agreement Despite these chal-
most of the developing nations request that the lenges, the Chair's December 1 text will serve as
same should be in line to the Basel convention the basis for further negotiations.
where developing economies / high Plastic con-
24 PLASTICS NEWS December 2024
