Leadership on tackling plastic pollution got a boost at the UN Ocean Conference when twenty-one new governments announced they will join the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.
Established in 2018 and led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Global Commitment brings together stakeholders across the plastics value chain to drive the transition towards a circular economy for plastic, where plastic never becomes waste. All business and government signatories set ambitious actions and targets across the life cycle to address plastic pollution and report annually on progress.
On the eve of the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, at a side event co-hosted by Kenya and France; the Governments of Australia, Belgium, Kenya, Mexico, and Thailand announced their intention to join the Global Commitment. Three of Mexico’s state-level governments, Baja California, Baja California Sur, and Sinaloa as well as the cities of Querétaro, Ensenada, and San Miguel de Allende and ten States from Brazil including São Paulo and the nine States of the Consórcio Nordeste: Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, and Sergipe, covering almost 50% of the population of Brazil, also announced they would become signatories. On Monday morning, at the opening of the UN Ocean Conference, President Nana Akufo-Addo announced Ghana would also be joining.
Growing momentum
The new governments follow 11 other governments who announced they were becoming signatories of the Global Commitment at the French-led ‘One Ocean Summit’ in February 2022. They joined other signatory governments and 500+ signatories from across the plastics value chain.
In March this year, a historic resolution was adopted by countries at the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2). It calls for the convening of an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop – by the end of 2024- an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. At a recent meeting in Dakar, Senegal, to prepare for the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, governments agreed to participate in five meetings, with the ambition to finalize the work of the Committee within two years.
"Joining the Global Commitment is a way to keep the momentum while negotiations are ongoing," said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of UNEP’s Economy Division. "It allows governments to try different approaches and measure and report on progress in a voluntary, supportive environment.”
Widespread benefits
Aggarwal-Khan emphasised the benefits of transitioning to a circular economy for plastic. She cited a recent report which found that moving towards a circular economy not only reduces the annual volume of plastics entering our oceans by 80% but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 25%, generates savings of USD 200 bn and creates an additional 700,000 net additional jobs, mostly in the global south.
“So, let’s keep our foot on the accelerator and turn this plastic pollution tap off in a way that transforms how we consume and produce plastic, for everyone's benefit and our environment.”
Speaking at the side event, Dr. Chris Kiptoo, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Kenya highlighted the need for “bold, concrete actions” to tackle plastic pollution.
We should never be in the situation where there may be more plastic than fish in our rivers and oceans.
Urgent solutions
“Working with countries and businesses to address plastic pollution at its source is essential to stem the flow of plastics into the environment, to protect our oceans and the biodiversity they support,” said Tanya Plibersek, Australia’s Minister for the Environment.
Ricardo Mourinho Félix, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, said “Our oceans must not continue to be a reservoir for our plastic waste. It's vital to find solutions now to ensure our marine ecosystems do not continue to suffer from the scourge of pollution.”
With close to 75 per cent of all plastic produced since 1950 ending up as waste, and often spilling into our waterways, Mourinho Félix, reminded the world of the urgent need for action: “We should never be in the situation where there may be more plastic than fish in our rivers and oceans."
The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Ellen MacArthur Foundation leads the engagement with the private sector and UNEP leads the engagement with the governments. For more information, visit: https://www.unep.org/new-plastics-economy-global-commitment
