CGF Plastic Waste Coalition Hosts Informational Webinar on Plastic Treaty with UNEP

Llorenç Milà i Canals, Programme Officer at UNEP opened the webinar by explaining the process that led up to the mandate to establish a legally binding instrument on Plastic Pollution. He shared that financial institutions, converters and producers, brand owners, retailers and waste managers had played an important role in urging member states of the United Nations to commence these critical negotiations to establish to Treaty.

Llorenç then shared the historic UNEA  resolution  – End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument – “in a nutshell”, explaining that it requests the United Nations Environment Programme to work with the Member States to develop an international legally binding “Instrument” on plastic pollution, addressing the full life cycle of plastic, including in the marine environment. This will look to promote the sustainable production and consumption of plastics including product design, environmentally sound waste management and resource efficiency throughout the life cycle. It will also take into account capacity building, data, monitoring and reporting, and compliance, amongst other topics.

Llorenç then spoke on a System Change Scenario that UNEP has mapped out working with University of Portsmouth and SYSTEMIQ, which presented the changes that would need to take place to considerably reduce plastic pollution. To stay on track with this scenario, he shared that we would need to see significant progress in different areas, such as reduction and substitution, design for recycling, collection and sorting, mechanical recycling and chemical conversion.

The webinar ended with an interactive Q&A session for participants which touched upon the role of the consumer goods industry in driving momentum on the resolution.

For more information about the CGF’s work to help drive progress towards a world where no plastic ends up in nature, learn about our Plastic Waste Coalition of Action.