UN plastics treaty talks set to begin in Canada, and the stakes are high

From ghost fishing gear drifting in the ocean to shipping containers ending up in landfills, Plastic is now found in almost everything, including Arctic zooplankton and human placenta.

This week, representatives from 174 countries will meet in Ottawa in hopes of stemming the plastic tide, with Canada hosting the fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-4).

The committee, part of the United Nations Environment Program, was established in 2022 with the goal of developing a legally binding international plastics treaty by the end of 2024. Held in South Korea in November. As a result, the stakes are high and representatives are under pressure to put in place provisions to regulate the substance for use in everything from cars to medical devices, while also coming up with ways to ensure less of it ends up in oceans or landfills.

In a statement on April 18, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault called the talks a historic opportunity to address the global plastic crisis. In addition to hosting the talks, Canada is a founding member of the Ambition Alliance to End Plastic Pollution, a group of countries that joined forces in 2022 with the goal of ending plastic pollution by 2040.

Concerns about plastic contamination have been around for decades and have only grown as the amount of plastic has increased. According to Environment Canada, under a business-as-usual scenario, plastic production and waste will triple by 2060, and by 2040, up to 37 million tonnes of plastic pollutants will enter the ocean each year.

There are also growing concerns about microplastics, which include tiny fragments that break off from larger pieces of plastic in the ocean or on land.

Researchers first reported the discovery of microplastics in human placentas in 2020. Researchers are looking for ways to prevent these particles from becoming entangled in the environment and potentially even living things, including humans.

The Ottawa talks will host representatives from member states as well as observers, including scientists, environmental groups, businesses and industry associations.

Isabelle de Schness, The executive vice-president of the Canadian Chemical Industry Association and representatives at the talks will seek a cradle-to-grave approach.

‘What we want to see are policies and requirements that help accelerate the circular economy, providing demand signals to industry and allowing us to unlock investment and innovation,’ she said.

Ms Des Chnes said manufacturers would be more likely to switch to products that are reusable or contain more recycled content if there are systems in place for collecting, sorting and processing such products, as well as national targets such as recycled content.

NGOs are calling for mandatory targets that address the entire life cycle of plastic, including production, rather than focusing primarily on waste management.

We know that if business as usual continues, plastic production is likely to triple by 2050, and as production increases, the impact will increase and there will be greater concern about plastic’s contribution to the triple planetary crisis,” said Sarah King, director of the Oceans & Plastics Campaign.

The triple planetary crisis refers to the interplay of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

According to the United Nations Environment Program, 9.2 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the 1950s, of which 7 billion tons have become waste.

The organization said that humans now produce 430 million tons of plastic every year, two-thirds of which are short-lived products that will eventually become waste.

Rocky Vermani, senior vice president of Nova Chemicals, said the treaty requires cooperative action by government, industry and non-governmental organizations.

While plastics are expected to become a key component in energy, construction, health care and other industries, Mr. Vermani said, “At the end of the day, we all agree that from a pollution perspective, plastics do not belong in the environment.”

What we want to continue to focus on is how to minimize plastic in the environment.