Response to the Zero Draft text of the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (UNEP/PP/INC.3/4)
The Scientists’ Coalition present our reflections and contributions to the Zero Draft text.
We highlight the following five key requirements:
- Time-bound, legally-binding primary plastic polymer reduction targets for each Party to ensure the attainment of a global aggregate reduction target.
- Safety, sustainability, essentiality, and transparency criteria for bio- and fossil-based feedstocks, chemicals, polymers, alternatives, substitutes, products, technologies, and systems/services (using group and hazard-based approaches where appropriate), in addition to chemicals and polymers that are particularly concerning.
- Initiation of sector-specific strategies and work programmes across the plastics supply chain.
- A dedicated multilateral fund, plastic pollution fees and mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility to provide financial resources for upscaling reduction and safe and sustainable reuse and facilitating a just transition to closed loop systems that eliminate non-essential production and consumption.
- An independent, trusted science-policy interface including expert committees under the Governing Body of the instrument that takes a central role in the development, review and update of targets, assessment criteria, guidelines, protocols and procedures for monitoring and reporting, and subsequent lists in the annex of the treaty. This body should include experts from the natural, material and social sciences as well as indigenous and local expertise.