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A little less conversation: How existing governance can strengthen the future global plastics treaty
Summary
This analysis examines existing multi-level governance structures for plastics—from global agreements to local regulations—and explores how a new global plastics treaty could complement rather than duplicate these existing frameworks. The authors identify principal roles, shortcomings, and gaps in current governance and propose ways to integrate a new binding instrument with the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions and other relevant regulatory bodies.
Abstract The growing plastic production, the lack of their waste management, and fragmented regulatory responses have increased their abundance in the environment. Plastic pollution has created significant environmental concerns leading to planetary boundary threats. As a result, an increasing number of governments and non-state actors have begun negotiations on a legally binding treaty to cover the full-life-cycle of plastics by 2024. While the negotiations were mandated at the United Nations Environment Assembly 5.2 in March of 2022, how the new agreement would link to existing governance bodies addressing plastic pollution at the global, regional, national and local levels requires careful consideration. This analysis examines the main multi-level governance structures in place to govern plastics while highlighting their principal roles as well as shortcomings and gaps. It then explores ways a new global agreement could complement existing governance structures without imposing and duplicating the work of previous agreements.