INC-2: What can you expect?

Welcome to Suits & Tides, the sustainability blog with more knowledge than microplastics in the ocean. This week, we dive deep into the realm of the INC-2 and its implications as we eagerly await the development of an international legally binding instrument to combat plastic pollution. And the roles we can play as organizations and consumers while waiting for it to be ready.?

In November 2022, world leaders, heads of businesses, NGOs and many more organisations and individuals met in Uruguay for the very first time to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.?

The plastic problem can no longer be ignored. Marine litter and plastic pollution are accumulating in the world’s oceans at an unprecedented rate, significantly impacting the environment, society and economy.?

The research is clear, and despite a global consensus on the impacts of plastic pollution, no coordinated action has been taken.

12 million tonnes of plastic are entering our ocean every single year, and that figure is expected to nearly triple by 2040, contributing to the already 75- 200 million tons of plastic that are already in our oceans.?

We need to take action now if we want to curb plastic pollution, and the only way to do it is with collective action from governments, industries and individuals alike. That is why the UN formed the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution to create a framework to address this issue.?

What is the INC-2??

INC-2 is the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop this much-needed international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. It will take place from 29 May to 2 June 2023 at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Headquarters in Paris, France.?

Since plastic pollution is a global problem caused by every single nation, business and individual, all these actors must discuss how to solve the problem together. The INC-2- and the following ones- are a space to discuss different stakeholders' impacts, viewpoints and solutions to ensure a fair transition to a more circular plastics economy, leaving no one behind.?

During INC-1, the committee agreed on how the legally binding treaty aims to provide a framework to tackle plastic pollution throughout the entire life-cycle of plastics, and it has four main goals:?

1. Reduce plastic: Reduce the size of the problem by eliminating and substituting problematic and unnecessary plastic items, including hazardous additives.?
2. Improve circularity (upstream): Ensure plastic products are designed to be circular (reusable as a first priority and recyclable or compostable after multiple uses at the end of their useful life).?
3. Improve circularity (downstream): Close the loop of plastics in the economy by ensuring that plastic products are circulated- aka improve recycling, upcycling and reuse.?
4. Improve waste management: Manage plastics that cannot be reused or recycled (including existing pollution) in an environmentally responsible manner.??

To attain these goals comprehensively, several key actions are necessary. First, there is a need to promote sustainable production and consumption of plastic while enhancing waste management practices to improve resource efficiency and foster circularity. This can be achieved by developing, implementing, and regularly updating national action plans that focus on preventing, reducing, and ultimately eliminating plastic pollution.

Second, strengthening national and international cooperation measures is crucial, encouraging collaboration among stakeholders and mobilising the private sector to take action. Third, monitoring and reporting systems should be improved at the national level to track progress and assess the effectiveness of implemented measures. Furthermore, increasing knowledge about plastic pollution through awareness-raising, education, and information exchange is vital. Finally, there should be an emphasis on enhancing capacity, technology, and financial cooperation to support the implementation of these actions.

What is expected to happen at INC-2 and beyond?

During INC-2, discussions on these topics and progress on the draft of the legally binding framework are expected to continue. After INC-2, three more INC meetings are scheduled until November 2024. After that, the INC will present progress during the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in February 2024. Then, hopefully (and sooner rather than later), once INC negotiations are completed, UNEP will convene a diplomatic conference to adopt the instrument and open it for signatures.

What can you do while all of these negotiations take place??

While it is fantastic that these negotiations are taking place and we will soon have a global and legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution, we also need to take action now. So, while we wait for global leaders to decide what to do, the private sector can already work on tackling the crisis by measuring their plastic, implementing reduction measures and engaging their customers, employees and suppliers in doing the same. And we, as consumers, can already start today making more sustainable choices to minimise our plastic and appropriately dispose of it!?

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