Negotiations begin for UN plastic pollution treaty

No sooner has COP29 ended and talks are underway in Busan, South Korea, with the aim of reaching international agreement on how to reduce plastic waste. 

According to the charity WWF, coning off the back of what has widely been seen as a failed UN climate summit, negotiations for the plastic treaty must deliver progress in order to keep momentum behind environmental action. 

However, there are reasons to be optimistic, with more than 100 countries expressing their support for a treaty that explicitly bans and phases out the most armful plastic products and chemicals. Mandatory product design requirements, ensuring products that are approved are safe and easy to reuse and recycle, also has this widespread support, along with work to identify the level of funding governments and mechanisms that can be strengthened over time. 

“We’re at a pivotal moment. Our last best chance to forge an agreement that could end the flow of plastic into nature is within reach, but only if countries come to the negotiating table with a clear vision and determination to get the job done,’ said Erin Simon, Vice President and Head of Plastic Waste and Business, WWF-US.

‘From my viewpoint, a majority of counties are showing the type of leadership that is needed to finalize an agreement the planet deserves,’ he continued. ‘If early signals of political will continue and countries are able to stave off the temptation to kick the can down the road then I could see us leaving these talks with a legally binding agreement that ensures nature and people win.’

More on waste and recycling:

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