Revolution Plastics Institute team head to Busan for the final round of negotiations for the UN Global Plastics Treaty.
Researchers from the Revolution Plastics Institute (RPI) at the University of Portsmouth will provide support for the final round of negotiations for the UN Global Plastics Treaty, taking place this week in Busan, South Korea. The treaty, an ambitious global effort to end plastic pollution, is set to be finalised by the end of 2024.
Through a series of events, workshops, and exhibitions, the University of Portsmouth team will provide evidence-based research to support negotiators as they tackle one of the most critical environmental issues of our time.
Professor Steve Fletcher, Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute, said: "With 20 days of formal negotiations completed across four continents, we now face the final discussions in Busan. This is crunch time. Agreement must be reached, or the opportunity to take global action against plastic pollution could be lost."
With 20 days of formal negotiations completed across four continents, we now face the final discussions in Busan. This is crunch time. Agreement must be reached, or the opportunity to take global action against plastic pollution could be lost.
Financing Workshop: Building Pathways for Implementation
On Saturday, 23 November, the Financing Coordination Group (FCG), in collaboration with the University of Portsmouth, will host a workshop for invited stakeholders to explore financing options for the treaty’s implementation. Moderated by Professor Fletcher, this session will engage stakeholders from governments, the private sector, and civil society.
An estimated US$1.5 trillion in public expenditure and US$15.4 trillion in private investment are needed from 2025 to 2040 to reduce annual mismanaged plastic volumes by 90% compared to 2019 levels. A treaty tackling plastic pollution presents a unique opportunity to mobilise much-needed finance. This event will provide a forum to discuss the state of play on financing options for a global plastics treaty and pathways for implementation.
Professor Fletcher explained: "Plastic pollution disproportionately affects low and middle-income countries. Adequate funding is essential to ensure these countries can take meaningful action. Without credible financial support, the treaty risks falling short of its goals."
Despite the increasing number of plastics policies, there remains very limited understanding of what makes them effective in practice, both in design and implementation. The Global Plastics Policy Centre has undertaken substantial evaluation of diverse policy tools globally to assess their effectiveness and to enable more evidence-based decision making.
High-level Policy Breakfast: Designing effective policies to deliver on the Treaty
On Sunday, 24 November, the Global Plastic Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth will host a Policy Breakfast meeting for negotiators in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and endorsed by the UK, Ecuador and Peru Governments. This event will focus on helping countries design and implement effective plastic policies to support the treaty’s objectives.
As the end of the negotiation phase of a Global Plastics Treaty draws near, the emphasis of discussions will shift to national action to tackle plastic pollution. A considerable amount of plastics-policy activity is already in place or in development at the national level, independent of the Treaty. However, there are still many gaps in knowledge about why some policies fail or succeed and how to maximise policy effectiveness.
Dr Antaya March, Director of the Global Plastics Policy Centre said: “Despite the increasing number of plastics policies, there remains very limited understanding of what makes them effective in practice, both in design and implementation. The Global Plastics Policy Centre has undertaken substantial evaluation of diverse policy tools globally to assess their effectiveness and to enable more evidence-based decision making.”
This event, co-hosted with the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) of the World Economic Forum, will share key insights for designing and delivering effective plastic policy, particularly looking at national plans and synergies with other areas such as climate, health and trade. This event is an opportunity for governments to learn from the experience of GPAP and the National Plastic Action Partnership countries, the Global Plastics Policy Centre, and other governments on what works in practice for plastics policy.
The global nature of the plastics crisis has demanded research methods that respond to the needs and calls of people and communities from across the world.
Exhibition and Forum: Taking the arts to INC5
On Friday, 29 November, the Institute will hold a forum event, titled, "How can the arts support the development of effective plastics policies?" This event, led by Associate Professor Cressida Bowyer, Deputy Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute and facilitated together with Professor Erika Hughes, will showcase creative methods, including a forum theatre piece on traditional and indigenous circular practices.
Dr Bowyer’s research focuses on employing arts-based methods to tackle global health and sustainability challenges. Dr Bowyer and Professor Hughes have worked on numerous international projects using arts-based methods, such as music, theatre, puppetry and visual arts, to engage communities and find solutions.
Dr Bowyer said: “The global nature of the plastics crisis has demanded research methods that respond to the needs and calls of people and communities from across the world.
“The Revolution Plastics Institute has been pioneering the use of arts-based research methods such as theatre, music and visual arts in the plastics space for almost a decade. Working with diverse groups, including grassroots communities, industry, and policy and decision makers, we have found these tools to be inclusive, effective, and highly engaging.”
Guest speakers include John Chweya, President of the Kenyan National Waste Pickers Welfare, who has been a vocal advocate for waste pickers throughout the treaty process, and Ahmed Tiyamiu, Director of Community Action Against Plastic Waste, a NGO advancing toxic free circular plastic economy practices in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The team will also host a week-long exhibition, "Plastic Action is Climate Action," which will explore the relationship between plastic pollution and climate change.
This collection of INC 5 events hosted by the Revolution Plastics Institute aim to bridge knowledge gaps and empower nations to take evidence-based actions.