Global Plastics Treaty (GPT) started in Busan after COP29
Global negotiations for the Global Plastics Treaty (GPT) are underway in Busan, South Korea, following COP29. This treaty aims to curb plastic pollution by addressing the entire life cycle of plastics. While countries like India push for waste management solutions, fossil-fuel-rich states resist production cuts, complicating the path to consensus. The treaty could be a key tool in reducing plastic's impact on ecosystems and climate change.
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| Global Plastics Treaty (GPT) Negotiations Begin in Busan After COP29 to Tackle Plastic Pollution Crisis |
By Dr. Seema Javed
What is the Global Plastics Treaty (GPT)?
Global negotiations for the Global Plastic Treaty (GPT) is taking place in Busan, South Korea, immediately following COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. From 25 November to 1 December 2024. These talks aim to address plastic pollution across its life cycle, from production to disposal. However, achieving consensus remains challenging. Petro-states like Saudi Arabia and Russia resist production caps, advocating instead for waste management-focused solutions, while the High Ambition Coalition, led by Rwanda and Norway, are pushing for measures like the "40 by 40" proposal to cut production by 40% by 2040.
Key Issues in the GPT Negotiations: Production Cuts vs. Waste Management
The goal is to end plastic pollution by 2040 through a circular economy where all plastics are responsibly managed during production, use, and end-of-life, enabling a climate-neutral plastics industry. The plastic recycling rate in 2022 was 26.9% only and 25% of plastic waste is still sent to landfills.
There is a need for ambitious measures and an enabling framework to facilitate a global transformation of the plastics system. An international legally binding instrument is an opportunity to enable circularity and end plastic pollution in the shortest period possible while protecting human health and the environment.
The Role of Major Players: Fossil-Fuel States, High Ambition Coalition, and India
For India, the dilemma is acute. With a robust plastic industry supporting millions of livelihoods, the country opposes production cuts and emphasises waste management under the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR). While India has introduced measures like banning certain single-use plastics and implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), some experts argue these approaches are insufficient without addressing the root cause—plastic production, which directly fuels the climate crisis.
Why Consensus on the Global Plastics Treaty Is Crucial for Climate and Health
Even as global attention centres on Baku, Azerbaijan, where over 190 nations have gathered for the COP29 conference on climate change, preparations for another crucial summit are already brewing in the background. Shortly after COP29 concludes, 175 countries will convene in Busan, South Korea, for the final round of negotiations on the Global Plastic Treaty, which was adopted in March 2022. These talks also come amid heightened concern that the return of Donald Trump as US president could signal a renewed push for fossil fuel expansion.
The Global Plastic Crisis: Facts and Figures You Should Know
- Rise in plastic production -
- in 1950-15 Million Tons
- in 2022-400 million tons.
- it is 80% of Ocean litter
By 2050 GHG emissions by plastic production, use & disposal will amount to 15% of total emissions to limit global warming to 1.5oC
How the Global Plastics Treaty Aims to Transform the Plastics Industry
Finding consensus on this treaty is crucial, given that plastic threatens ecosystems and human health. It also fuels climate change thanks to its heavy reliance on fossil fuels for production. While mitigating plastic pollution will be on top of the agenda at Busan, negotiators will also have to address the geopolitical implications of such a treaty.
It is no secret that fossil-fuel-rich countries are keen to preserve their economic interests in plastic, despite calls for stronger sustainability measures. Moreover, the link between fossil fuel production and plastic manufacturing raises questions about the future of global environmental governance. These fossil-fuel-rich countries are currently resisting adopting measures to curb plastic production, and are instead advocating solutions focused only on waste management and recycling.
Such conflicting priorities have complicated negotiations, with developing countries such as India finding it particularly challenging to balance practising sustainability and economic growth. The country has a robust plastic industry that provides millions of jobs. So how can India achieve a balance between economic development and the urgent need for sustainable practices in the face of mounting global pressure to combat plastic pollution?
The Road to Busan: What to Expect from the GPT Summit
The outcomes in Busan are also closely intertwined with the discussions in Baku—especially as climate negotiations take place in a petrostate for the third year in a row.
Tracing the origins of the Global Plastic Treaty
The first plastic polymer was invented in 1869, but the threat of plastic pollution became widely recognised only a hundred years later in the 1970s and 1980s. Initially, the concern of nations was limited mainly to plastic deposits in the ocean. It was only ten years ago, in 2014, at the first session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) held in Nairobi, Kenya, where “marine plastic debris and microplastic” was listed as one of the main issues in its adopted resolution. India tabled the proposal to ban single-use plastic in 2019.
What is Plastic?
Plastics are inexpensive, synthetic materials that are mainly made of polymers, which in turn are produced from fossil fuels like petroleum, natural gas and coal. Not only is the rise in the production of widely used plastics directly linked with the increase of greenhouse gas emissions, but plastics also have degrading ecological impacts from disrupting food chains, contaminating water and soil, and posing threats to environmental and human health.
Amidst the escalating threat that plastic poses to the planet, countries agreed in March 2022 to prepare an internationally legally binding agreement – also known as the Global Plastics Treaty (GPT) — which aimed to “end plastic pollution”. An Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) focused on a “comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic, including its production, design, and disposal”. The INC aims to complete negotiations by the end of 2024.
Initially proposed by Peru and Rwanda, the treaty has the support of 175 countries, including India. To date, four rounds of negotiations have taken place in Uruguay, France, Kenya, and Canada, as nations work toward a consensus. The fifth and final round of discussions is set to occur in South Korea from November 25 to December 1, 2024.
