Toward a New Instrument Addressing the Full Life Cycle of Plastics: Overview of the Typology of International Legal Instruments

This document introduces a legal overview designed to inform the development of a new global instrument to address the plastics crisis. It notes that 10 formal propositions were submitted between 2017 and 2020 and that negotiations were set to begin at the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA5.2) in February 2022. The report analyzes the typology of international legal instruments, with a focus on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), to help negotiators determine the appropriate structure and type of agreement.

• Between 2017 and 2020, 10 formal propositions were submitted by stakeholders, regional groups, and parties regarding a potential global instrument to address the plastics crisis, using terms such as treaty, convention, agreement, and framework.
• Negotiations for a global instrument to address plastic pollution were scheduled to commence during the fifth session of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA5.2) in February 2022.
• The report provides a non-exhaustive legal analysis of international legal instruments, specifically Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), to assist decision-making regarding the structure and type of a new global instrument governing the life cycle of plastics.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2022). Toward a New Instrument Addressing the Full Life Cycle of Plastics: Overview of the Typology of International Legal Instruments. https://www.ciel.org/reports/typology-of-international-legal-instruments/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Toward a New Instrument Addressing the Full Life Cycle of Plastics: Overview of the Typology of International Legal Instruments. 2022. https://www.ciel.org/reports/typology-of-international-legal-instruments/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Toward a New Instrument Addressing the Full Life Cycle of Plastics: Overview of the Typology of International Legal Instruments |date=20 January 2022 |url=https://www.ciel.org/reports/typology-of-international-legal-instruments/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2022toward, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Toward a New Instrument Addressing the Full Life Cycle of Plastics: Overview of the Typology of International Legal Instruments}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ciel.org/reports/typology-of-international-legal-instruments/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }