The absence of comprehensive rules and regulations governing the plastic value chain has led to unprecedented levels of plastic production, consumption, and pollution worldwide. In 2019 alone, 2 million garbage truckloads of plastic waste leaked into land or water environments globally. Without clear and specific guidelines to eliminate plastic pollution, experts predict a nearly 90% increase in mismanaged plastic waste by 2040. However, high-risk single-use plastic products persist in production and circulation. Despite the undeniable evidence of the threat to people and planet alike, we continue to produce plastic goods at an alarming rate and are too reliant on uncoordinated, inefficient national measures.

Without clear and specific guidelines to eliminate plastic pollution, experts predict a nearly 90% increase in mismanaged plastic waste by 2040.

As the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution met in Nairobi  in November 2023 for its third round of talks to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastics pollution, there was a clear opportunity to change this. However, despite a growing coalition of ambitious actors advocating for decisive action, especially from the Global South, there is still resistance to the required measures and interventions across the plastic value chain.  

With negotiations ending without consensus, we are again reminded of the urgent need for coordinated global efforts to address the global crisis. As underscored in a recent report for World Wildlife Fund by Dalberg, these measures are vital to address the inequitable burden of plastic pollution borne by the most vulnerable populations. 

Inequities in the Plastic Value Chain

The absence of global rules has resulted in significant disparities, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Without global rules, the current course of national and voluntary action is doing little to address the transboundary plastic pollution crisis, which impacts all nations. However, it is LMICs, particularly low-income countries and small island developing states, that bear the brunt of this crisis due to three key structural inequities in the plastic value chain: 

• Limited Influence on Global Plastic Production: Non-plastic-producing LMICs lack influence over international plastic production. The absence of global regulations allows the production of plastic products, contributing to pollution without consideration for their safe disposal. Even banned products continue to be produced, sold, and traded globally. 
• Limited Capacity for Plastic Waste Management: LMICs face challenges in managing the growing volume of plastic waste, outpaced by global production. Limited infrastructure and prohibitive costs hinder the development and upgrading of waste management systems, placing the countries at risk of severe plastic pollution consequences. 
• Lack of Accountability Mechanisms: There is no mechanism to hold companies and countries accountable for the costs associated with plastic pollution. The absence of extended producer responsibility schemes further exacerbates the uneven distribution of the burden of plastic pollution. 

Disproportionate Costs for LMICs with Environmental and Human Consequences

Despite consuming almost three times less plastic per capita than high-income countries, LMICs face eight times higher costs over the lifecycle of plastic due to challenges in production, circulation, and waste management. The fossil fuel industry’s increased investment in plastic production disproportionately impacts these countries, leading to environmental and socioeconomic consequences, including air pollution, poor working conditions, and hazardous material spills. For instance, a landslide caused by unstable mounds of plastic and other waste in informal dumps in Ethiopia claimed over 100 lives in 2017. 

Plastic pollution poses severe environmental threats, impacting almost every marine species and posing risks to human health. LMICs experience adverse socioeconomic effects, livelihood impacts, and health risks, and it is estimated that plastic pollution costs up to 1 million lives each year in these countries. When a flood in Mumbai, India, claimed over 1,000 lives in 2005, the severity of the flood was, in part, attributed to the amount of plastic waste obstructing the city’s drainage systems. 

Call for Global Rules and Regulations

Relying solely on national actions and voluntary measures is insufficient to address the plastic pollution crisis and the inequities in the value chain. A coordinated global effort is essential, emphasizing product-specific bans on high-risk plastics (particularly single-use plastics, fishing equipment, and microplastics), phase-outs, and binding measures to promote reduction, reuse, recycling, and circularity. Global initiatives will not succeed without supporting improvements to waste management systems. 

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution must pursue ambitious, legally binding options to catalyze systemic change, promote equity, and unlock global innovation. Governments must resist calls to water down the plastics treaty through weakly phrased and non-specific obligations to ensure that global measures effectively tackle the urgency and significance of the plastic pollution crisis. It is time for countries and negotiators to elevate their ambition and finalize a treaty that truly reflects the gravity of the situation. Consumers and businesses alike can play active roles in advocating for these critical measures, leveraging their voices through available channels, such as the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty. 

Read the full report here.