UK calls for plastic pollution treaty

The UK is calling for a global plastic pollution treaty, alongside 52 other members of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) to End Plastic Pollution, in signing a Ministerial Statement.

The HAC is a coalition of over 50 governments that have since agreed to end plastic pollution by 2040.

The Joint Ministerial Statement calls for a range of mandatory provisions to be included in the global plastic pollution treaty, currently under negotiation.

These include reducing the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels; eliminating and restricting unnecessary, avoidable or problematic plastics, chemicals and products; and eliminating the release of plastics into nature.

This statement precedes the second Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) taking place in Paris and sets out the HAC’s key ambitions for INC-2.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow says: ‘I am proud to be amongst other HAC members signing this statement that calls for ambitious new measures within the global plastics treaty and look forward to some productive and high-reaching discussions in the upcoming INC-2 meeting in Paris.’

The INC-2 meeting taking place in Paris is the second out of five sessions with United Nations member states.