In Support of an International Legally Binding Instrument to End Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment

Statement by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste reiterates its support for the United Nations member states’ commitment to develop a legally binding global instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. We agree that plastic waste has no place in the environment and addressing this global waste management issue is urgent. We know that plastic is an important material that outperforms many others, and that the industry is accelerating efforts to close the loop on plastic waste and create a more circular economy. However, we can move faster, do more.

As the Alliance, our mission is to drive collective action across different stakeholder groups to address the plastic waste challenge, with a focus on improving collection, sorting, processing, and recycling. Unfortunately, voluntary efforts alone are not enough. We need to forge strong partnerships for a sustainable and just transition to a circular economy for plastics. As the Alliance, we want to work with all stakeholders to create the right conditions for a plastic pollution instrument that we can help to implement.

To do so, we believe that the involvement and engagement of the industry throughout the INC process is essential for the instrument to succeed. In this regard, we would urge UNEP and its Member States to continue not only engaging the industry, but also all stakeholders throughout the INC process, not just at INC1. We hope to see a way to do so and are ready to support these efforts.

The Alliance supports a full lifecycle approach in solving the plastic pollution challenge. We support the development of an instrument that is based on evidence, includes science-based provisions, and sets clear targets and obligations for all member states and actors from across the plastic value chain. We are also mindful of the national circumstances of individual member states based on our project experience in several of these countries, and support an instrument which would take this into account.

We also hope that the instrument will accelerate the development of National Action Plans and the development of simplified and harmonised definitions, reporting and data collection to track progress and align the actions of all stakeholders across various geographies.

Additionally, the goals and targets in the instrument must be supported with access to adequate funding. To this end, the Alliance looks forward to contributing to discussions as Member States consider traditional funding schemes, which includes large-scale funding from Development Financing Institutions, and new models of blended finance, private equity, venture capital as well as other forms of private sector funding.

Finally, in addressing plastic pollution, we must improve waste management and increase recycling rates. In this regard, we look forward to provisions in the global instrument which prioritise these policies, while taking into account local conditions. We firmly believe in the private sector’s catalytic role to support the implementation, accelerate innovation and channel capital to develop effective and scalable solutions to end the leakage of plastic waste into the environment.

To this end, we are committed to working in close partnership with member states, civil society, the informal sector and other stakeholders to assure the development of such an agreement and thereafter contribute to its successful implementation.