On Wednesday, September 25, the 67 member countries of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) to end plastic pollution by 2040 reaffirmed the need to safeguard human health and the environment from the devastating effects of plastic pollution.

This includes addressing the impact on marine ecosystems through the development of a legally binding international treaty.

The treaty, proposed by Rwanda and Peru, seeks to, among other things, reduce global plastic waste, which is said to fuel climate-related crises and environmental catastrophes. Both countries also led negotiations on the draft resolution among the coalition.

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According to experts, the treaty could be the biggest development on the global environmental agenda since the Paris Accord was signed in 2015, experts say.

More than 60 countries make up the HAC, including Rwanda, European Union members, Japan, Australia, and most recently Kenya.

In a joint Ministerial statement released on Wednesday, the Coalition promised to end plastic pollution by 2040, through implementing legally-binding measures such as reducing plastic production and consumption, phasing out problematic plastic products and chemicals, and ensuring a global non-toxic circular economy.

The development comes on the heels of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) when world leaders and representatives are expected to conclude negotiations on a global plastic pollution treaty.

The meeting is slated for November 25 through December 1, in Busan, Korea.

"We (the 67 Ministers of the HAC) reiterate our strong and united commitment to finalising negotiations on an ambitious and effective treaty at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC5) in Busan in November 2024,” reads part of the joint ministerial statement.

Should INC-5 result in a weak treaty, HAC countries will be held to account on commitments to pursue an ambitious binding global treaty through other forums.

But what are the commitments?

According to the statement, countries are rooting for a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastics, including design, production, consumption, and end of life.

The 67 Ministers emphasised that effective and common legally binding global rules are essential to address the negative economic, social, cultural, and environmental impacts of plastic pollution in all countries, particularly in developing countries and especially in Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

"We underline that such global rules are vital to make progress on the transformation to a sustainable and more circular economy, support just transitions, provide a global level playing field for business, and avoid unnecessary economic costs,”

Latest surveys show unequivocal public support for binding rules to regulate global plastic production and consumption, with 85 percent calling for a ban on unnecessary and harmful single-use plastics and 90 percent for a ban on hazardous chemicals used in plastics.

Over 200 businesses have also endorsed the development of an ambitious and effective global treaty to end plastic pollution.

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Some of the world’s largest corporations, including Unilever, P&G, Walmart, and Coca-Cola, have also joined the movement.

"We emphasise the principle that polluters should be held responsible for their activities and products, recognizing that economic tools appropriate to national circumstances are part of the solution, including extended producer responsibility schemes and an end to harmful incentives such as subsidies that work against efforts to end plastic pollution.”

The Ministers also committed to forging an agreement with common, legally binding measures and encouraging all INC members to find agreement on goals as well as on measurable and time-bound targets "to ensure we are on a clear path to ending plastic pollution, including on reducing production and consumption of primary plastic polymers,”

Where necessary and feasible, the Ministers also pointed out sustainable remediation of plastic pollution.

"The HAC’s commitments inject much-needed energy and hope into the final stretch of these negotiations, which have, for the most part, been undermined by opposition from petrochemical lobbyists and a few oil-dependent countries undeterred by the damage that business-as-usual would inflict,” said Eirik Lindebjerg, Global Plastics Policy Lead, World Wide Fund for Nature International.

He added; "Along with statements from many other governments, these commitments are proof that a global majority of countries want legally binding measures. Countries must now make these rules a reality and not let vested interests water down the treaty.”

Calls grow for a governing body

Members of the Committee said they were convinced that they would be able to agree on all essential aspects and key provisions by the end of INC-5, "and we emphasise that ensuring that the treaty is effective, responsive, and relevant over time will require a governing body that seeks to make its decisions by consensus but is able to adopt decisions by majority based on best practices in other multilateral environmental agreements and established practices in the United Nations.”

"We stress the importance of timely signature and ratification of the treaty with the ambition of its rapid entry into force. We further underline the importance of taking early measures consistent with treaty provisions and of swiftly implementing all treaty obligations to meet our ambition of ending plastic pollution by 2040.”

The governing body can swiftly respond to new evidence and emerging threats to human health, food chains, and the environment from plastic pollution.

"This includes mechanisms for adding, amending, and supplementing annexes; binding transparency and reporting requirements, including on plastic polymer production and chemical composition.”

Rwanda outlawed the manufacturing, importation, use, and sale of plastic carry bags in 2008 and later single-use plastic items in 2019.

This decisive action against plastic also energised economic growth by creating green jobs around the country, Juliet Kabera, Director General, of Rwanda Environment Management Authority said in an earlier interview.

"Many companies and cooperatives started manufacturing environmentally-friendly bags made from locally available and environmentally-friendly materials. This employed many Rwandans, especially young people and women,” she added.

For instance, in the first month of Kenya’s ban on plastic bags, Rwandan manufacturers exported 78 tonnes of biodegradable bags made from paper, cloth, and sisal worth $ 250,000 according to Kabera.

Key facts

Worldwide, two million plastic bags are used every minute around the world.

On average, a plastic bag is used for just 12 minutes – but takes up to 1000 years to decompose.

In 1974, the average person consumed 2kg of plastic a year. Today, the average consumption per capita is 43kg – an increase of over 2000 percent.

Over the next five years, the world’s leading plastic manufacturers are set to increase production by a third, and yet only 9 percent of plastics worldwide are recycled.