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A little less conversation: How existing governance can strengthen the future global plastics treaty
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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.
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Author comment: A little less conversation: How existing governance can strengthen the future global plastics treaty — R1/PR6
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This author comment discusses how existing governance frameworks could be strengthened to support a future global plastics treaty, without waiting for entirely new regulatory systems. Leveraging current environmental agreements could accelerate reductions in plastic pollution including the microplastics that enter marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
Ecological and Health Dimensions of Global Plastics Governance and Its International Institutions
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Plastic pollution—including tiny microplastics—isn't just an environmental problem, it's a health problem too, but this study finds that the international agreements and organizations meant to tackle plastic waste don't do a great job connecting the dots between the two. In other words, the people negotiating global plastic treaties and the people focused on public health aren't fully coordinating, which means the human health risks of plastic pollution may be getting less attention than they deserve in the rules being written right now. This matters because as global leaders finalize a landmark plastics treaty, closing this gap could mean stronger protections for the food, water, and air you're exposed to every day
Who is governing the global plastics crisis? Mapping the global plastics governance landscape
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Despite growing alarm over plastic pollution, including tiny microplastics now found in our food, water, and even our bodies, no single global authority is actually in charge of solving the problem. This study found that the current patchwork of UN agencies, environmental treaties, and industry partnerships mostly shares information and sets voluntary guidelines rather than enforcing real change, and that businesses often use these partnerships to look eco-friendly while continuing normal plastic production. For consumers, this means the burden of reducing plastic exposure and pollution largely falls on individual choices and local regulations, since meaningful global rules aren't yet in place
Crafting a global plastics treaty
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This book chapter critically analyzes international negotiations toward a global plastics treaty, noting that the UN Environmental Assembly has been working toward a legally binding instrument since 2014. A strong global plastics treaty is considered essential for halting the growing accumulation of microplastics throughout the environment.
The Development of Global Governance for Marine Plastic Pollution: Bridging Legal Gaps to Address the Ocean Emergency?
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This Italian-language doctoral thesis analyzed the evolution of global governance for marine plastic pollution, examining international, regional, and national policies and investigating power dynamics in plastic treaty negotiations at the UN level. The research argued for holistic lifecycle approaches that integrate plastic pollution governance with the ocean agenda, climate agenda, and broader environmental concerns to overcome governance gaps and promote treaty coherence.
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