My thanks to the members of the press for covering these negotiations.
When plastics were first mass-marketed in the 1950s, the concept of throwing away useful items after a single use was so alien that we had to be taught it. Fast forward seventy years, and we have learned the lesson well. Too well.
Our throwaway culture means that plastic floods our drains, blocks our rivers, chokes our oceans and enters our bodies. This throwaway world must itself be thrown away.
Two years ago, the United Nations Environment Assembly green-lit these negotiations for an internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution that deals with the full life cycle of plastics.
Let me be clear what “full life cycle” entails. It means eliminating unnecessary single use and short-lived plastic, rolling out refill and reuse models and producing less problematic plastic.
It means addressing harmful chemicals and designing for circularity. It means investing in solid waste management and recycling – so that we can use, reuse and recycle resources more efficiently.
The right policy and legal environment will be critical to the instrument’s success. I am talking about global targets, accelerated timelines, binding rules and obligations and more. The good news is that there are emerging points of convergence that can create this environment.
We have seen progress in the first three rounds of negotiations, which have put the text on the table for further crafting. INC-4 must now make meaningful progress on this text and agree on a mandate for intersessional work in the months that follow.
If we achieve these things we can finish this process at INC-5 in Busan this year with an instrument that sets the stage to end plastic pollution, thus protecting human and ecosystem health while ensuring a just transition and space for the private sector to thrive in new sustainable markets.
And this is why I am asking negotiators to show commitment, collaboration and ambition in the coming week so we can advance the text and deliver a deal to beat plastic pollution once and for all.
