Andersen: INC-2 must cover full cycle of plastics

06 / 12 / 2022

By Marwa Nassar - -

Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Inger Andersen said an international deal due to be developed by the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-1) must cover full cycle of plastics.

She said “We must eliminate and substitute problematic and unnecessary plastic items and ensure that plastic products are designed to be reusable or recyclable. Important that we find our way towards an ambitious multilateral instrument that ensures plastic products are circulated in practice, not just in theory.”

She went on to emphasize: “To get this done, the deal must cover the full life cycle: from considering different types of polymers and plastic products to developing safe and environmentally sound waste management. Crucially, we must ensure that these actions take into account the principles of a just transition so that nobody is left behind.”

Uruguay’s President Luis Lacalle Pou opened the meeting expressing that knowledge, shared responsibilities and optimism are key elements on the road ahead for negotiators.

Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, INC Secretariat Executive Secretary, indicated that the outcome of the first session is a mandate that is deeply crucial in moving towards developing a draft text for the instrument within two years. She stressed the need for an ambitious and meaningful outcome of the INC process.

Adrian Peña, Minister of Environment of Uruguay, told attendees that plastics are one of the biggest examples of unsustainable consumption and production, of “use and throw away,” with harmful implications for human health and the environment and announced the country’s new return deposit system for plastic packaging.

Finally, INC Chair, Ambassador Gustavo Meza-Cuadra called for broad and inclusive participation in this process, without losing sight of the ultimate objective, to protect the environment and human health from the impacts of plastic pollution.