The development of a legally binding UN treaty is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle the plastic pollution crisis in a globally coordinated way. The resolution adopted at the UN Environmental Assembly in March 2022 marked the start of the intergovernmental negotiation process for a global plastic treaty. It is a clear call for system change towards a circular economy for plastics, ensuring it stays in the economy and out of the environment.
With the launch of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, over 80 organisations, including businesses from across the plastics value chain, financial institutions and NGOs, have aligned on a shared vision, which sees the treaty as the key policy mechanism to accelerate progress in three critical areas: the reduction of plastic production and use through a circular economy approach, increased circulation of all necessary plastics, and the prevention and remediation of hard-to-abate micro- and macro-plastic leakage into the environment.
Going forward, the Coalition will develop ambitious policy recommendations, aligned with our vision, engage with treaty negotiators, and build confidence in the business community on the benefits and necessity of an effective treaty that sets common goals, rules, and obligations to be implemented in national jurisdictions. For businesses and investors, this means creating a level playing field and preventing a patchwork of disconnected solutions.
1. Develop clear and consistent policy insights and recommendations for an ambitious and effective treaty, and inform the negotiations on key elements and priority policy considerations to be taken into account.
2. Convene an inclusive group of businesses, financial institutions, key NGOs and business organisations with a shared ambition towards a circular economy for plastic and a strong commitment to support an effective, legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution.
3. Coordinate advocacy efforts to deliver joint key messages and inputs from aligned businesses, NGOs, and financial institutions to governments.
4. Build confidence in the business community around an ambitious and effective treaty being an enabler of progress towards a system change to end plastic pollution
Within the Coalition, we have created three different levels for organisations to engage with us. All of them have endorsed the Coalition’s Vision Statement:
Allison Lin, Global VP Packaging Sustainability, Mars
Carolyn Panzarella, Senior Manager, Global Environmental Policy, PEPSICO
David Clark, Vice President Sustainability, Amcor
Ed Shepherd, Senior Global Sustainability Manager – Circular Economy, Unilever
Francisco Gamez, Director of innovation, EMERALD PACKAGING
Jacob Rognhaug, VP Public Affairs System Design, TOMRA
Macon Field, Director, International Government Relations at Kimberly-Clark
Punji Leagnavar, Global Director, Environmental Policy, L’Oréal
Richard Conrick Gallagher III, Partnerships Director, Okeanos Group
Vikas Chhajer, Chief Sustainability and Strategy Officer, Gemini Corporation NV
Ambrogio Miserocchi, Policy Manager
Carsten Wachholz, Secretariat Co-Lead
Gabriella Hewitt, Communications Manager
John Duncan, Secretariat Co-Lead
Lauren Ward, Network and Operations Coordinator