Trash Hero World has submitted a proposal to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) ahead of the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) to develop a Global Plastics Treaty.
We worked together with Break Free from Plastic to submit the statement, which addresses the potential elements for the treaty and outlines a plan for dealing with plastic pollution in all environments. Drafted by their policy experts, its key objectives focus on the removal of unnecessary plastics that jeopardise the environment, while ensuring that the planet and its inhabitants are protected. Control measures should cover each stage of the plastic lifecycle – from raw material extraction to product production, waste management, and leakage into the environment. Some of the recommendations include stopping harmful chemicals and plastics, reducing the use of virgin materials and transitioning to a circular economy.
As stated by the UN Special Rapporteur, a human-rights-based approach must be adopted in the management of reducing global plastics. This means ensuring social justice for waste pickers and other workers in the global plastics value chain and environmental justice for communities that have been unfairly impacted by plastic pollution.
Trash Hero World was granted formal consultative status at the United Nations Environmental Assembly in March 2022. As an official observer, we are now among 500+ NGOs globally that can give input to policy discussions and participate in the UNEA sessions and those of its subsidiary bodies. Our proposal is one among around 200 that are publicly available on the UNEP website (under the “Pre-Session Submissions” tab). These proposals will be reviewed for inclusion in the official documentation provided to the negotiating committee at the INC-2 summit in Paris in May this year.
Using our platform to advocate for the reduction of plastic production and the adoption of zero waste systems is an important part of our ongoing commitment to “act local but think global”. By engaging with UNEP, and other key stakeholders, we hope to drive change and create a cleaner and more equitable world for future generations. We are proud to work alongside Break Free From Plastic in this goal.
Trash Hero World joined the Break Free From Plastic movement in 2018. Since then, we have collaborated on several important projects that aim to reduce plastic pollution worldwide, including being a top contributor to data in their annual Brand Audit reports.
Join the conversation