By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN trade and development body on Thursday in an assessment stated that the trade must be part of the solution to end plastic pollution a global problem which disproportionately affects developing countries.
UNCTAD assessment came in an update published ahead of the final round of talks to develop a legally binding international instrument against plastic pollution.
UNCTAD said that “Although plastics are directly linked to the triple planetary crisis – pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change – there is still no comprehensive international treaty governing their composition, design, production, trade, and disposal,”.
The agency said that in 2023, plastic production reached 436 million metric tonnes worldwide, with the traded value surpassed $1.1 trillion.
It also accounted for 5 per cent of total merchandise trade, it stated.
The update noted that 75 per cent of all plastics ever produced have become waste, most of which has ended up in the world’s oceans and ecosystems.
The pollution also threatens food systems and human well-being in small island and coastal developing countries with limited capacity to cope.
UNCTAD is advocating for tariff and non-tariff measures to support ecologically sustainable plastic substitutes which often are derived from natural sources such as minerals, plants or animals, and can be recycled or turned into compost, the agency stated.
The update stressed that the global trade in these substitutes reached $485 billion in 2023, with an annual growth of 5.6 per cent in developing economies.
It explained that boosting up will require action to address challenges related to tariff and non-tariff measures, limited market access and weak regulatory incentives.
UNCTAD explained that a reduction in tariffs on plastic and rubber products over the past 30 years from 34 per cent to 7.2 per cent has made them “artificially inexpensive”.
The alternatives such as paper, bamboo, natural fibres and seaweed face average tariffs of 14.4 per cent
It said “These disparities in how materials are treated discourage investment in alternative products and hinder innovation in developing countries that aim to export safer and more sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastics”.
Some 98 per cent of plastics are derived from fossil fuels, meaning that emissions and environmental damage are expected to rise if left unchecked. In response, many countries are using non-tariff measures such as bans, labeling requirements and product standards.
These regulations differ, leading to fragmentation and increased compliance costs.
The small businesses and low-income exporters struggle in the face of overlapping or inconsistent requirements, thus affecting how they can both participate in and benefit from sustainable trade.
Hope for treaty talks
The talks towards the plastic pollution treaty are promising, UNCTAD stated.
It noted that they began in 2022, with the final round taking place next week at the UN in Geneva.
The treaty would cover the entire life cycle of plastics – production, consumption, and waste within a fair and comprehensive framework.
UNCTAD said a successful treaty should include tariff and non-tariff measures to support sustainable substitutes for plastic, investment in waste management and circular infrastructure, digital tools for traceability and customs compliance, as well as policy coherence across frameworks reached through the WTO, the UN climate secretariat, UNFCCC; the Basel Convention on hazardous waste, and related regional measures.
