The negotiations, which took place on 23 April- 29 April 2024 were attended by representatives from across the globe.
While acknowledging some progress made during the negotiations, Ms Janssens emphasised the need for stakeholders to redouble their efforts in finding workable compromises to ensure timely conclusion of the negotiations. She highlighted the importance of all parties – governments, industry and civil society – coming together to tackle the complexities of the issue.
One of the major challenges identified by Ms Janssens is the mobilisation of finance, particularly for emerging economies. Plastics Europe sees “promise “in the growing recognition of extended producer responsibility schemes as a tool for managing plastic waste.
Problematic
Moreover, Ms Janssens welcomed proposals aimed at “defining and mitigating problematic plastic applications”. Notably, initiatives put forward by the European Union and the United Kingdom, alongside industry-developed strategies, were highlighted as promising steps.
However, she stressed the need for further refinement and implementation of these proposals.
Expressing concern over the lack of progress in establishing enabling policies and regulatory frameworks for a circular plastics economy, Ms Janssens emphasised the need for plastic waste to be recognised as a “commodity with real value”. She called for policy measures to increase demand for recycled plastic materials, including the introduction of mandatory recycled content targets at the national level.
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