GENEVA – Today, a draft text for the global plastics treaty was released by the Chair, which serves as the likely basis for the final agreement. Ocean Conservancy has reviewed the document, and Nicholas Mallos, vice president of Ocean Conservancy’s ocean plastics program and a nearly 20-year veteran of this issue, released the following statement:

“With plastic pollution at crisis levels globally, the Chair’s draft text is completely unacceptable: it includes no mention of plastics reduction, and any mention of ghost gear – the deadliest form of plastic pollution to marine life – has been scrubbed from the text. Further, the section on funding is inadequate for any treaty to be effectively implemented, threatening the ability for many Member States to achieve the goals of the agreement.

“The science is clear: to reduce plastic pollution, we must make and use less plastic to begin with, so a treaty without reduction is a failed treaty. Time is running out, and we stand ready to support the Chair and Member States in shaping a stronger, more impactful agreement to meet this crisis with the urgency it demands. The health of our ocean and our communities depend on it.”

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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