The department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) said the talks involve businesses, environmental groups, scientists and “civil society”.
The legally binding global treaty is to set obligations on countries to reduce pollution across the plastics lifecycle, from production and consumption to disposal and waste management.
Defra said the first formal negotiations will take place from 28 November to 2 December in Uruguay, facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme.
Ahead of the formal negotiations, the UK government is running a series of dialogue meetings in partnership with the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network, an organisation comprising industry, scientists and activists, according to Defra.
The first meeting saw stakeholders including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Coca Cola, Nestle, H&M and Greenpeace come together to discuss how UK businesses can contribute.
International action
Dr Coffey said: “Plastic pollution has a direct and deadly effect on our wildlife, polluting our ocean and damaging our planet.”
“Our laws are already helping to cut waste domestically, and international action is needed to end plastic pollution by 2040.”
Dr Coffey said that yesterday’s meeting was “important” in bringing together government, business and environmental organisations on this issue. “It’s vital for us all to work together if we are to make progress in tackling plastic pollution globally,” she added.
Dave Ford, founder of Ocean Plastics Leadership Network, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with the UK Government on the UK Plastics Treaty Dialogues.” He explained that the organisation’s objective with the talks was to build knowledge and understanding of the UN Global Treaty process and various solutions and to help unite stakeholders.
He noted: “We aim to expand this effort to 20 countries worldwide.”
Plastic pollution
Defra said that, according to the global Breaking the Plastic Wave report, current commitments around the world will only reduce the annual discharge of plastic into the ocean by 7% by 2040. It outlined that the only way to achieve significant reduction is to take action across the whole lifecycle of plastic. This includes reducing consumption, reuse and improving waste management systems.
The UK is a founding member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, which is a group of more than 30 countries calling for a target under the treaty to stop plastic pollution by 2040. The resolution was agreed at the UN Environment Assembly in March, with a commitment to forge the international legally binding agreement by 2024 (see letsrecycle.com story).
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