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Towards a global plastics treaty: Navigating policy preferences and economic interests
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This study analyzed pre-session submissions from the second and third rounds of UN global plastics treaty negotiations using systematic qualitative content analysis, identifying a clear divergence between ambitious clusters advocating for upstream production controls and less ambitious clusters focusing on downstream waste management. The analysis predicted that countries with vested interests in plastic production would defend economic positions by limiting the treaty to downstream solutions, potentially undermining the goal of ending plastic pollution.
Abstract At the fifth session of the United Nations (UN) Environment Assembly in March 2022, UN member states were mandated to negotiate an international, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. This article assesses pre-session submissions from the second and third negotiation rounds to identify proposed measures and priorities for the treaty. The analysis, employing systematic qualitative content analysis, focuses on the comprehensiveness of submissions, variations in proposed measures across the plastics value chain and political-economic factors influencing state positions. Results reveal a divergence between ambitious clusters advocating for upstream regulatory measures and less ambitious clusters emphasising downstream waste management. As negotiations progress, countries with vested interests in plastic production are likely to defend their economic positions by advocating for a treaty limited to downstream solutions. This approach risks diluting the treaty’s impact by failing to address production levels, potentially undermining the overarching goal of ending plastic pollution.
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