Plastics Dialogue explores cooperation, standards and harmonization of trade measures

The five areas previously discussed during the September and October 2024 meetings included enhancing transparency in plastics trade flows, identifying best practices, improving access to relevant technologies and services, building capacity for developing members, and exploring the potential creation of domestic inventories of trade-related plastic measures.

Three of the co-coordinators — Ecuador, China and Morocco — commended the significant progress made by participating members since 2022. With 82 members now involved, representing over 88% of global plastics trade, support for the Dialogue's unique position in tackling plastics pollution continues to grow, they said. The co-coordinators underscored the urgency and necessity of the DPP dialogue stressing the shared responsibility of participating members to achieve concrete outcomes.

Participants received an update on the ongoing UN-led multilateral negotiations on plastics pollution from the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The update highlighted the significant progress made despite the lack of agreement on the Chair's proposed text at the end of the fifth negotiation session held in November in Busan, the Republic of Korea. The INC Secretariat emphasized that the Chair's text laid a strong foundation for future negotiations and called for continued support and input from the DPP,

Regarding strengthening cooperation on standards for non-plastic substitutes and alternatives, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) made a presentation on the process of identifying potential gaps in international standards for non-plastic substitutes and alternatives to single-use plastics and packaging. Several entrepreneurs from India, Indonesia and China shared insights on the challenges of certifying non-plastic substitutes and alternatives.

On greater harmonization of trade-related plastics measures (TrPMs), the WTO Secretariat provided an overview of past technical discussions (INF/TE/IDP/RD/123) and a survey on TrPMs concerning single-use plastics conducted last year (INF/TE/IDP/W/11). Kenya and New Zealand shared their national experiences in addressing trade-related challenges in implementing restrictions on single-use plastic goods.

Delegates and stakeholders welcomed the diverse insights from both the public and private sectors. They shared broad views on the topics under discussion, including  the possibility of working with ISO to identify gaps in standards for non-plastic substitutes and alternatives, how to address the fragmentation of cross-border standards, and the importance of transparency and sharing best practices. While some delegates emphasized the need for collective action to address single-use plastics by promoting substitutes and alternatives, others stressed the need to assess the environmental, health and economic impacts of these substitute materials. Some delegates also proposed focusing on the waste management and recycling aspects of single-use plastic products.

Participants suggested potential outcomes for single-use plastic goods at MC14. Some proposed guidelines and voluntary actions to harmonize different standards while ensuring they do not create additional trade barriers. Others emphasized the need to define single-use plastic goods as a crucial first step toward establishing international guidance for trade measures. Some queried whether there was significant convergence to discuss potential outcomes and if it was not too premature to have such discussions.

In conclusion, Australia, also a co-coordinator of the Dialogue, thanked participants for their valuable insights, particularly the perspectives shared by Asian companies. It expressed interest in further engaging with other regions to explore how trade can support both innovation and environmental objectives.

Looking ahead, Australia stated that the group plans to consolidate discussions on the eight key focus areas in an upcoming review session scheduled for April or May, with the goal of fostering a "focused, collaborative, and inclusive dialogue" and delivering on the MC13 mandate for "further concrete, pragmatic and effective outcomes".