INC-4: Penultimate plastic treaty negotiations end with “incremental progress”
30 Apr 2024 --- The fourth round of negotiations for a UN Global Plastics Treaty (INC-4) concluded yesterday in Ottawa, Canada. Industry stakeholders left the meetings urging further intersessional work before the final round in November. Civil society groups are again criticizing the presence of petrochemical lobbyists at the talks.
Despite these criticisms, some progress was reportedly made on the treaty text, which both industry players and environmental campaigners agree must be developed in the lead-up to the INC-5 in November.
Erin Simon, vice president and head of plastic waste and business at WWF, comments: “The pressure was on at INC-4 for countries to make up for lost time. With the world watching, negotiators made incremental progress by including some of the key ingredients needed for a successful treaty.”
The INC-3, held last November, saw accusations of “shameless stalling” by oil-producing nations.
“With so much at risk, this problem will require global alignment on ways to reduce our use of plastic and stop it from leaking into nature. More work must be done between now and the final round of negotiations if we’re going to deliver an effective and legally binding treaty that people and the planet deserve,” says Simon.
Plastic industry lobbyists are accused of unfairly influencing and stalling the negotiations.Growing lobbyist attendance
According to the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), 196 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists registered for the event — an uptick of 37% from the INC-3 last November.
Fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists outnumbered the combined 180 representatives of all EU delegations and more than the smallest 87 country delegations combined. The Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) collectively registered 73 representatives, meaning they are outnumbered more than two to one compared to lobbyists.
Moreover, the number of fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists registered was three times greater than the 58 independent scientists from the Scientists’ Coalition for An Effective Plastic Treaty and seven times greater than the 28 representatives of the Indigenous Peoples Caucus.
Sixteen of these lobbyists registered across nine different country delegations, including four in Malaysia, three in Thailand, two in Iran and the Dominican Republic, and one each in China, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Turkey and Uganda.
Plastic industry response
Chris Jahn, council secretary of the International Council of Chemical Associations, speaking on behalf of the Global Partners for Plastics Circularity, says the plastics industry remains fully committed to achieving a final and binding treaty by the end of the year.
“While INC-4 has made advancements toward a final text, there is still much more to do. We urge negotiators to continue making progress through intersessional work in the coming months,” he says.
“Throughout this round of negotiations, our delegates have been encouraged to hear many governments affirm the need for the plastics agreement to align and not duplicate the functions of other UN agreements and frameworks.”
“Our industry is fully committed to a legally binding agreement all countries can join that ends plastic pollution without eliminating the massive societal benefits plastics provide for a healthier and more sustainable world. We will continue to support governments’ efforts by bringing forth science-based and constructive solutions that leverage the innovations and technical expertise of our industry.”
By Louis Gore-Langton
