Global Plastics Treaty: Consumers International shares its position for an ambitious agreement that works for people and planet
- Consumers International leads the only global consumer delegation at negotiations for an international treaty on plastic pollution.
- This week, we will be at INC-5, the final round of talks in Busan.
- We call for a treaty delivering a safe, sustainable world for people everywhere.
Today, delegations from countries around the world arrive in Busan, Republic of Korea for the final round of talks for an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, also known as the 'global plastics treaty'.
In just one generation, we have produced more than 11 billion tonnes of plastic, three quarters of which have been discarded in landfills or the open environment. If action is not taken immediately, by 2050, there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish.
But plastic pollution is more than just a waste management problem - its affects extend to people's health, wellbeing, and livelihoods. Microplastics can be found in our food, water, even running through our bloodstream. And as a by-product of fossil fuels, plastics are accelerating the climate crisis.
These negotiations are a rare and historic moment, described as one of the world's most ambitious environmental actions since the 1989 Montreal Protocol. Yet so far, negotiations have stalled. In the last round of talks in Ottawa, negotiators struggled to reach consensus on large portions of the text, and with limited time remaining, it is looking increasingly likely that upstream measures (those related to the production of plastics) will be pushed from the final agreement.
Our ambition for a treaty that protects and empowers consumers
Consumer rights and needs should be a priority in any global instrument, and are especially important for the plastics treaty. Decisions made this week will have a direct impact on people's lives, and in many cases, their success will depend upon consumer buy-in. To be effective, the treaty should align with and include the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection, and ensure that the 'legitimate needs' of consumers are met.
For example, consumers have a right to safe products and services. In the case of plastic, this means products free from dangerous or problematic chemicals. Our Member in Denmark, Forbrugerrådet Tænk, recently found that every fifth plastic toy bought through e-commerce platforms contains a higher level of hazardous phthalates (a substance found in plastic products) than is permitted for toys in the EU.
Furthermore, the agreement must ensure that consumers are not left to shoulder the burden of action alone. According to our 2023 study with GlobeScan, 72% of consumers feel that they are doing all that they can to protect the environment and nature. We know that people want to reduce their plastic consumption, yet removing plastic from our lives is nearly impossible. We want to see commitments to ensuring safe, environmentally sound, non-plastic substitutes are made available, accessible, and affordable to consumers.
Amplifying consumer voices at INC-5
Consumers International is working to support an effective treaty by amplifying the voices of consumers worldwide. We have led the only global consumer delegation to the negotiations, consulting with our Members throughout this journey. They have provided expert insights into consumer behaviour, needs, and the barriers they are facing within distinct national contexts.
Vamsi Shankar Kapilavai, Senior Researcher from Citizen Consumer and Civic Acton Group (CAG, India), who will join our delegation in Busan, said:
"With projections showing that plastic production is only going to increase year by year, it is imperative governments take measures to prepare a legally binding instrument to reduce the plastic production to protect health of consumers and environment.
To date, a comprehensive characterisation of complex chemicals present in plastics is missing, which hinders the consumers from taking informed decisions. Further, the transition from a polluting single-use system to reuse system needs governance reforms and political backing. This would be in line with not only what the world demands, but what consumers deserve."
Key considerations
At INC-5, we want to see an agreement that includes the following elements:
- Without addressing the root cause of the crisis – the production of plastic polymers – efforts focussed only on demand-side or downstream measures will be ineffective.
- Identifying and regulating chemicals of concern, and banning toxic chemicals, is essential to meet consumers’ right to safety and a clean environment.
- Products and packaging must be redesigned to ban problematic, avoidable, and short-lived plastics, to improve reusability and reparability of plastic products, and to enable circular consumption models, phasing out of plastics use.
- The development of safe non-plastic substitutes which are easily available, accessible and affordable must be prioritised.
- A mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility regime at a global level is necessary to harmonise efforts and ensure accountability and traceability across supply chains.
- Improvements in waste management infrastructure need to be aimed at guiding, facilitating, and supporting consumers towards zero waste sustainable living.
- Control measures on trade and transboundary movement of listed polymers, chemicals, products and plastic waste should be included in the treaty to ensure transparency and accountability across international supply chains.
Connect with us
To connect with our team at INC-5, contact impact@consint.org. To follow progress at the negotiations, follow us on LinkedIn and X.