29 May - 2 June 2023, Paris, France
The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including the marine environment (INC-2) took place from 29 May to 2 June 2023 at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Headquarters in Paris, France. GCEOA's chair James Donovan participated in the sessions and supported the vision of putting an end to plastic waste by 2040. Some clear takeaways from the event that are urging global action:
- Linear patterns of plastic production and consumption is choking the planet
- Plastics have been our default product for far too long
- Current international commitments will only reduce plastics by 8% by 2040, i.e. the tap is still widely open and we need to close it
- Transparency and a just transition from plastics is needed — we cannot recycle our way out of this mess
- The transition will require a full redesign of the market and the patterns of consumption, and we need new business models and business opportunities throughout the value chain
- The transition will require a broad, inclusive, transparent lean on science and the re-design of products and packaging:
- to use less plastics
- to facilitate shipping and transport
- to promote reuse or recycling
- The transition will require we address the broader system of justice and the strategic implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and the inclusion of the voices of marginalized communities in the debate
- The transition will require the private sector to be part of the solution
- It is a no regret strategy; it is a profitable strategy; it is a justice strategy