Researchers call for government collaboration ahead of final talks before signing of global plastics treaty

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) Ahead of the final stage of talks at the UN Global Plastics Treaty, researchers urgently call for governments to collaborate to address plastic pollution through measures that reduce production and prioritise human health.
     Through open letters and articles published in scientific journals, the researchers, such as those from Germany's Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research and Canada's Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, demand a binding United Nations plastics treaty grounded in science, justice and bold political will.
     The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee -- titled 'INC 5.2' -- is scheduled for August 5 to 14, 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland. The first part took place in Busan, South Korea, in November-December 2024.
     The final stage in negotiations is being deemed "the world's best opportunity to secure a comprehensive, binding agreement tackling plastic pollution".
     In a research article published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, authors from the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research and other institutes in Germany called for a collaboration across sectors -- scientists, manufacturers, regulators and representatives of civil society -- to alleviate from the world the threat of plastic pollution.
     One of the methods the authors suggested in this regard was a 'circular economy' of plastics that would involve "selecting non-toxic chemicals, extending product re-use, and waste reduction."
     Author Annika Jahnke, an environmental chemist at the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, said, "The production, use, and disposal of plastic are globally interlinked. The raw plastics come from countries such as India and Saudi Arabia; the plastic products are produced mainly in the Global North before being used worldwide."
     "When there are no effective waste collection systems, plastic enters the environment and spreads in all directions," she added.
     Describing measures to advance a circular economy of plastics, the authors advocated the use of simple chemicals in virgin plastics, along with transparently communicating their contents.
     They also called for recyclability to be considered while designing a product out of plastic.
     The team added that an intersectoral dialogue would help foster communication.
     Key demands outlined in the open letters, published in the journal 'Cambridge Prisms: Plastics' include legally binding targets to cap and reduce plastic production, along with a phasing-out of toxic additives and chemicals in plastics.
     The authors also called for global health safeguards to protect human health and the inclusion of affected communities while designing the plastics treaty -- especially indigenous Peoples and informal waste workers.
     Robust financing and compliance mechanisms also would be needed to ensure treaty enforcement and support for low-and middle-income countries, they said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)