Page 21 - Plastics News Issue October 2025
P. 21
WEBINAR REPORT
♦ LMG opposed caps, citing the role of plastics 9. Observations and Inferences from INC 5.2
in long-life and non-littered applications.
♦ Pressing need for plastic waste manage-
Articles 20 & 25 – Dispute Resolution & Voting ment: Increasing population and higher liv-
ing standards will drive higher plastic usage
♦ Current system: consensus-based.
globally.
♦ HAC proposed voting mechanisms; LMG op- ♦ Limited substantive discussion on techni-
posed, emphasising equity for smaller coun- cal solutions: Mechanical and chemical re-
tries.
cycling, sustainability, circularity, and carbon-
7. Country Positions zero strategies received minimal focus.
♦ High Ambition Coalition (HAC): 131 coun- ♦ Growing awareness: Across the five INC
tries, including Norway & Canada; focused sessions, nations increasingly recognise the
on caps, chemicals control, and strong com- need for effective waste management, in-
pliance cluding EPR, legal restrictions on single-use
♦ Like-Minded Group (LMG): 40 countries, in- plastics, and adoption of sustainable alterna-
cluding India, China, USA; opposed produc- tives.
tion caps, emphasised national circumstanc- ♦ Finance as a critical element: Financial insti-
es tutions stressed the need for environmen-
♦ Intermediates: Brazil, Chile, Switzerland, Ne- tally sound production, safer chemicals, in-
pal – leaning toward HAC but flexible frastructure development, and governance.
This will influence polymer supply chain in-
♦ Bridging Voices: Japan, Singapore – concil- vestments.
iatory roles
♦ Industry preparedness: Businesses must
♦ Small Island States: Tuvalu – vocal advo- consider environmental compliance, safer
cates citing climate risks
additives, product redesign, sustainability,
8. India’s Position circularity, and scientific safety data. Scien-
♦ Focus on pollution control and waste man- tific research and data generation in India
agement rather than upstream production are especially crucial to support regulatory
restrictions positions.
♦ Societal awareness: Public behaviour
♦ Advocacy for consensus-only decision mak-
ing change, litter prevention, and waste segre-
gation are essential to complement regula-
♦ Emphasis on national circumstances and tory efforts.
sovereignty
♦ Focus of the treaty: The treaty targets plas-
♦ Highlighted existing bans on single-use plas- tic pollution, not plastics themselves.
tics and domestic waste management meas-
ures 10. Key Challenges
♦ Deep North-South divide between HAC and
October 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 21
