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ARTICLE · 22 JUNE 2023

What Is The UN's Plastics Treaty?

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Following our recent piece on plastics and proposals for a nationwide Deposit Return Scheme we are taking a look at the United Nations (UN) plans for a historic Plastics Treaty.

United KingdomEnvironment
Ben Sasson
Ben Sasson
Ben Stansfield
Ben Stansfield
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Following our recent piece on plastics and proposals for a nationwide  Deposit Return Scheme we are taking a look at the United Nations (UN) plans for a historic Plastics Treaty.

In February 2022, the UN's Environment Assembly (the UNEP) adopted a resolution to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment which was supported by 175 countries. Moreover, in early June 2023, the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (the INC), took place in Paris, where countries discussed an options paper1 that will be used as the basis for discussions at the meeting.

The UNEP, which is hosting the talks, released a blueprint for reducing plastic waste by 80% by 2040.2 This report outlined three key areas of action: reuse, recycling and reorientation of plastic packaging to alternative materials.

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