On 6 November 2024, the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) held a key roundtable ahead of the final negotiations (INC-5) for the Global Plastics Treaty, set to take place in Busan, South Korea. The treaty aims to establish a legally binding agreement to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040.

Chaired by Environment Secretary Steve Reed and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the roundtable gathered businesses across the plastics value chain to address critical elements for inclusion in the treaty. Discussions emphasised the need to address the entire lifecycle of plastics. Participants signed a statement urging for an “ambitious and effective” treaty.

Notable signatories include Tesco, Nestlé, Unilever, Mars, and Waitrose. Organisations interested in endorsing the statement can do so until INC-5 begins on 25 November 2024.

The treaty negotiations follow concerns raised after the April 2024 discussions, which Greenpeace criticised for yielding to fossil fuel and petrochemical industry influence. The INC-5 meeting is viewed as a decisive opportunity to set actionable global standards.

Harriet Lamb, CEO of WRAP, highlighted the urgency of addressing the world’s escalating plastic crisis. "Every year, over 141 million tonnes of plastic packaging are produced. Much of it ends up in landfills, incinerators, or as environmental pollution," Lamb said. Without action, she warned, 30 million tonnes of plastic waste could enter the environment annually by 2040.

Lamb called for INC-5 to deliver “high ambition and actionable strategies” to curb plastic dependency. She stressed the treaty's importance in tackling the pervasive pollution affecting air, water, soil, and even human health, urging businesses and governments to commit to enforceable measures.

INC-5 represents a pivotal moment in global efforts to end the plastic crisis