That evaluation carried out by the UN Commerce and Development Agency, UNCTAD, comes in an update published Thursday before the final round of conversations to develop an international legally binding instrument against plastic pollution.
“Although plastics are directly linked to the triple planetary crisis (pollution, loss of biodiversity and climate change, there is still no integral international treaty that governs its composition, design, production, trade and disposition,” said Unctad.
Polluting our oceans
In 2023, plastic production reached 436 million metric tons worldwide, with the negotiated value that exceeded $ 1.1 billion. It also represented 5 percent of the total merchandise trade.
However, 75 percent of all the plastics produced have become waste, most of which have ended in the oceans and ecosystems of the world.
This pollution also threatens food systems and human well -being, especially in small island and coastal developing countries with a limited ability to cope.
Support for substitutes
Unctad is advocating for rates and non -tariff measures to support ecologically sustainable plastic substitutes that are often derived from natural sources such as minerals, plants or animals, and can be recycled or become compost.
The global trade of these substitutes reached $ 485 billion in 2023, with an annual growth of 5.6 percent in developing economies.
The extension will require an action to address the challenges related to the measures of rates and non -tariffs, limited access to the market and weak regulatory incentives.
Tariff disparities
Unctad explained that a reduction in tariffs on plastic and rubber products in the last 30 years, from 34 % to 7.2 percent, has made them “artificially economic.” Meanwhile, alternatives such as paper, bamboo, natural fibers and algae face average tariffs of 14.4 percent
“These disparities in how materials are discussed the investment in alternative products and prevent innovation in developing countries that aim to export safer and sustainable alternatives to plastics based on fossil fuels,” he said.
Currently, 98 percent of plastics are derived from fossil fuels, which means that emissions and environmental damage are expected to increase if they run out of control. In response, many countries are using non -tariff measures, such as prohibitions, labeling requirements and product standards.
However, these regulations differ, which leads to fragmentation and increased compliance costs. In addition, small businesses and low -income exporters fight over overlapping or inconsistent requirements, which affects how they can participate and benefit from sustainable trade.
Hope for treaty conversations
For UNCTAD, conversations to the plastic pollution treaty are promising. They started in 2022, with the final round next week at the UN in Geneva.
The treaty would cover the entire life cycle of the plastics (production, consumption and waste) within a fair and integral framework.
The UN Agency said that a successful treaty must include tariff and non -tariff measures to support sustainable plastic substitutes, investment in waste management and circular infrastructure, digital tools for traceability and compliance with customs, as well as policy coherence in the frameworks achieved through the World Trade Organization (WTO); The UN climate secretariat, CMNUCC; The Basel Convention on Hazardous Waste and Related Regional Measures.