WASHINGTON – The latest “non-paper” of the Global Plastics Treaty was recently circulated to hundreds of stakeholders, a document being put forward as the likely basis for negotiations in INC-5 Busan. Ocean Conservancy has reviewed the document, and Nicholas Mallos, vice president of the organization’s ocean plastics program and a nearly 20-year veteran of this issue, released the following statement: 

“What we saw in the non-paper is disappointing and frankly an embarrassment for every single organization, member state, and delegation that has worked tirelessly over nearly three years to negotiate an ambitious agreement.

“The Plastics Treaty is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle the plastic pollution crisis head on, but the ambition that we all dreamed and spoke of in earlier negotiations is absent from this new document. Despite growing support behind these policies among countries and NGOs alike, plastic reduction appears to have been taken off the table; there is no mention of ghost gear – one of the deadliest types of plastic pollution in our ocean; and a disproportionate emphasis has been placed on managing plastic waste instead of turning off the tap. 

“With plastic production and pollution surging, it is shocking to see how this woefully misses the mark. The non-paper as it currently stands takes us back to square one, but there’s still time to right the ship. We stand ready to support the Chair and member states in shaping a stronger, more impactful agreement. We urge every delegate going to Busan in November to spend the next few weeks seizing back the gains we made, so we can meet the plastics pollution crisis with the urgency and ambition it demands. The health of our ocean and our communities depend on it.”

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Ocean Conservancy’s response to the U.S. support for reducing plastic production HERE.

You can find Ocean Conservancy’s call to reduce single-use plastics by at least 50% HERE.

You can find a fact sheet about ghost gear HERE.

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