Parties shall regulate PLASTIC PRODUCTS, CHEMICALS USED IN PLASTIC PRODUCTS, AND PRODUCT DESIGN, based on a common global approach, including timelines for implementation and potential exemptions

Aligning on final treaty text

Art. 3 | Plastic products and chemicals:

Establish an initial list for global restrictions and phase-outs to be included in an annex, and align on a set of clear criteria to identify additional products & chemicals to take measures on

Art. 5 | Product design:

Agree on an obligation for parties to ensure that plastic products comply with harmonised product design criteria, including for priority plastic applications such as packaging, to be defined in dedicated annexes, and to be complemented by sector-specific guidance

Strengthening efforts over time

Art. 3 | Environmental, health, socio-economic risks and impacts:

Task a scientific-technical review committee to conduct a comprehensive assessment for specific categories of plastic products and chemicals used therein, and to recommend control measures

Art. 3+5 | Amendment of related annex(es):

Adopt global control measures, timelines for implementation and potential exemptions, complemented by additional guidance for the national implementation of restrictions, phase outs, and criteria on product design, or other requirements

Each party shall implement nationally determined measures to promote SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF PLASTICS, CIRCULAR ECONOMY APPROACHES AND BETTER PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT

Aligning on final treaty text

Art. 6+7 | Plastic production and consumption:

Agree to continuously improve national policies to promote sustainable production and consumption of plastics, including with the aim to eliminate releases of micro- and nanoplastics

Art. 8 | Waste management:

Agree to introduce or advance targets and systems for the collection, reuse and recycling of plastic products in each country, supported by effective and well-designed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies and/or other economic instruments

Art. 9 | Existing pollution:

Agree on an obligation for all parties to cooperate on remediating existing plastic pollution

Strengthening efforts over time

Art. 6-9

Adopt quantitative and qualitative targets at the global level, including mandatory reporting on progress, to guide national policies on sustainable production and consumption of plastics, reuse and recycling of plastic products, better plastic waste management, post-consumer recycled content (PCR), as well as prevention and remediation of plastic pollution

Programmes of work

Define priority categories of plastic products to develop performance indicators and guidelines to ensure consistent implementation of sectoral approaches across all relevant core obligations (Art. 3-9)

Each party shall develop NATIONAL PLANS containing policy actions and implementation measures, and provide regular REPORTING ON PROGRESS to inform the COP’s EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION

Aligning on final treaty text

Art. 14 | National plans:

Agree on key elements to inform target setting, stakeholder engagement and monitoring of progress at country level

Art. 15 | Reporting:

Decide on the format and periodicity for reporting on the implementation of the core obligations

Art. 17 | Information exchange:

Recognise the need to improve transparency across the plastics value chain, including through requirements to assess and disclose information on corporate risks, impacts and dependencies on plastic use

Strengthening efforts over time

Art. 14 | National plans:

Adopt modalities and guidelines for their development

Art. 16 | Effectiveness evaluation:

Adopt progress indicators to inform future COP decisions

Art. 20 | Decision making:

Ensure a swift COP response to the effectiveness evaluation by adjusting existing or adopting new targets, measures, programmes of work, or timelines for their implementation

Parties shall cooperate on IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT through capacity building, resource mobilisation and finance, knowledge exchange and access to technology

Aligning on final treaty text

Art. 11 | Finance:

Agree on a strategy for resource mobilisation, and on a strong financial mechanism

Art. 12 | International cooperation:

Agree to facilitate access to knowledge and technology, including dedicated support for Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs)

Strengthening efforts over time

Art. 11 | Finance:

Adopt instruments to mobilise public and private finance to address priority issues identified by the COP

Art. 12 | International cooperation:

Establish a competence centre and a collaborative platform to tackle key plastic waste management challenges in developing countries

Each party shall promote a JUST TRANSITION AND INCLUSIVE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Aligning on final treaty text

Art. 10 | Just transition:

Establish an obligation to engage with relevant stakeholders to address plastic pollution in a way that is fair and inclusive to everyone concerned — workers, enterprises and communities — in particular by advancing human rights, and creating decent work opportunities in the plastic value chain, and developing adequate mechanisms for the participation of waste pickers

Strengthening efforts over time

Art. 10 | Just transition:

Adopt clearing house mechanism to ensure that obligations and national plans are implemented in a fair and non-exclusionary manner, including for waste pickers and workers in informal or cooperative settings

Art. 17 | Information exchange:

Establish a platform for multi stakeholder initiatives to inform and support the development and implementation of programmes of work

introduction

A roadmap to an effective Global plastics treaty

The Business Coalition is asking governments to agree on five core obligations, underpinned by harmonised regulations across the full lifecycle of plastics, and to establish the COP architecture to strengthen them over time.

An ambitious, effective and legally binding treaty on plastic pollution is within reach. This roadmap sets out the five core obligations for governments to agree across the full lifecycle of plastics, complemented by Conference of the Parties (COP) mandates to strengthen them over time. The Business Coalition stands ready to work with policymakers on each.

This 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.

OBLIGATIONS

A set of core obligations for all countries

Parties shall regulate

PLASTIC PRODUCTS, CHEMICALS USED IN PLASTIC PRODUCTS, AND PRODUCT DESIGN,

based on a common global approach, including timelines for implementation and potential exemptions

Expand

Each party shall implement nationally determined measures to promote

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF PLASTICS, CIRCULAR ECONOMY APPROACHES AND BETTER PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT

Expand

IMPLEMENTATION

Enabling effective implementation

Each party shall develop

NATIONAL PLANS

containing policy actions and implementation measures, and provide regular

REPORTING ON PROGRESS

to inform the COP’s

EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION

Expand

Parties shall cooperate on

IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT

through capacity building, resource mobilisation and finance, knowledge exchange and access to technology

Expand

Each party shall promote a

JUST TRANSITION AND INCLUSIVE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Expand

Conclusion

A strong political commitment

The treaty must retain the full lifecycle approach of UNEA resolution 5/14, covering production, consumption, product design, waste management and existing pollution. Member States need to agree on the COP mandates that allow control measures, technical specifications, quantitative targets and financial instruments to be adopted and strengthened over time. This is the structure that delivers consistency across borders with enough flexibility to support national ambitions.

We, +330 businesses from across the plastics value chain, financial institutions and NGOs, stand ready to share further insights and recommendations to inform the INC discussions on the following:

The foundational pillars of an ambitious and effective global plastics treaty
The need for further strengthening key articles in the draft treaty text
The mandates for future decisions of the Conference of the Parties (COP)
The mechanisms to enable implementation by countries and businesses

Get in touch to find out more

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Version of 9th April 2025‍*
This roadmap highlights critical elements of the Business Coalition’s Vision Statement in order to help governments align on a final treaty text at INC-5.2, covering all relevant aspects of the UNEA resolution 5/14.‍The ambition is to agree on a set of strong core obligations for countries to tackle pollution across the plastics lifecycle, complemented by effective mechanisms for implementation support. This includes clear mandates to the Conference of the Parties (COP) to prepare and adopt future decisions to help national governments to strengthen their efforts to end plastic pollution over time.

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Treaty on a page

A roadmap to an effective Global plastics treaty

This 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.

A set of core obligations for all countries

Enabling effective implementation

A strong political commitment

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