Global Plastic Pollution Treaty
( UPSC Prelims)
News Context
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee discussions aimed at formulating a Global Plastic Pollution Treaty have been postponed.
About Global Plastic Pollution Treaty
• UNEA Resolution: Adopted in 2022, titled “End plastic pollution: towards an international legally binding instrument,” it assigned the INC the task of developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including its impact on the marine environment.
• Approach: Combines both binding and voluntary measures.
• Disagreements: A group of Like Minded Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Bahrain, China, Cuba, and India opposed restrictions on production.
o In contrast, the High Ambition Coalition (HAC), consisting of around 100 countries, including the European Union, advocated for production caps as essential.
Evolution of Global Plastic Pollution Treaty
1988-MARPOL Annex V by IMO: This was the first treaty to prohibit plastics in ship-based discharges, with 158 parties involved.
2012-RIO+20 Declaration: This declaration acknowledged marine plastic pollution as a global concern.
2015-SDGs (Agenda 2030): SDG 12 and 14.1 focus on reducing waste, promoting sustainable consumption, and curbing marine plastic pollution.
2019-Basel Convention Amendments: These amendments included plastic waste under global notification and prior informed consent rules.
2020s-Trade & Plastic Pollution: UNCTAD/WTO have called for policies to promote plastic substitutes, the creation of databases, and an informal dialogue on plastic pollution within the WTO.
2022-2025-Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC): Under a UNEA resolution, this committee is tasked with negotiating a treaty that addresses the entire plastic lifecycle, from production to disposal.
About Plastic Pollution
Types: Microplastics are particles up to 5 millimeters in diameter, while Nanoplastics are smaller than 1,000 nanometers.
Extent: Over 460 million metric tons of plastic are produced annually, with an estimated 20 million tons polluting the environment, according to the World Economic Forum. Only 9% of this plastic is recycled, and more than 90% of the plastics found on the ocean's surface are microplastics.
Source: Common sources include bottles, caps, cigarettes, shopping bags, cups, straws, eyeglass lenses, car tires, paint shed from shipping, and discarded fishing gear.
About Microplastics
● Characteristics: Microplastics are persistent and highly mobile, making them challenging to eliminate. They possess a large surface area to volume ratio, which enables them to adsorb more contaminants and become susceptible to fouling. Over time, they accumulate in water bodies.
● Types of Microplastics:
● Primary Microplastics: These are intentionally manufactured. Examples include plastic pellets used in manufacturing and microbeads found in products like toothpaste, face wash, and cosmetics.
● Secondary Microplastics: These result from the breakdown of larger plastic items. Examples include microfibers, which are made from synthetic fibers such as polyester or nylon.
● Impact: Microplastics have been detected in human blood, lungs, and placenta, posing potential health risks. They contribute to food chain and soil contamination and can reduce plants' photosynthetic ability by approximately 12%. Additionally, they affect marine life by causing biomagnification.
India’s initiatives to control Plastic Pollution
● Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016: Imposes responsibility on manufacturers for the disposal of plastic waste.
● Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016: Focuses on segregation, recycling, and Extended Producer Responsibility. It also implemented a ban on certain single-use plastic items in 2022.
● PWM (Amendment) Rules, 2021: Increased the thickness requirement for carry bags from 50 microns to 75 microns starting September 30, 2021, and further to 120 microns from December 31, 2022.
● Mandatory Jute Packaging Act, 2010: Promotes the use of jute as an alternative to plastic packaging.
● National Plastic Waste Reporting Portal: Provides access to nationwide data on plastic waste.
○ Additional Initiatives: Includes the National Dashboard on Elimination of Single Use Plastics and the National Circular Economy Framework (2024) by CII.