Compilation of Key Terms Relevant for the Negotiation of a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution

The report serves as a glossary for negotiators of the future 'plastics treaty' mandated by UNEA Resolution 5/14. It aggregates definitions across twelve categories, including generic pollution, plastic-specific terms, waste management, and the full life cycle of plastics, drawing from sources such as the Basel Convention, OECD, ISO, and EU directives.

• The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) recommends using the OECD's definition of 'plastic pollution' as a working definition for negotiations, which describes it as "Broadly, all emissions and risks resulting from plastics production, use, waste management and leakage".
• CIEL identifies a gap in existing definitions regarding the upstream stage of the plastic life cycle and proposes working definitions for plastic feedstocks, precursors, materials, and products to support the development of control measures.
• Plastics are variously defined, with some sources describing them as materials containing a "high molecular mass polymers" and others as "synthetic organic polymer" or "polymeric materials to which additives may have been added".
• The compilation distinguishes between different sizes of plastic particles, generally categorizing 'macroplastics' as those above 5 mm, 'microplastics' as those smaller than 5 mm, and 'nanoplastics' as those smaller than 1 μm.
• Primary microplastics are defined as particles designed for direct commercial use, such as "cosmetics, detergents and paints components", or indirect use, such as "pre-production pellets".
• Secondary microplastics result from the "fragmentation and weathering of larger plastic items", including wear and tear from "textile and rope fibres" and "vehicle tyre wear".
• The document provides definitions for 'biodegradable plastics' and 'compostable plastics', noting that compostable plastics are a "subset of biodegradable plastics designed to biodegrade under controlled conditions".
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is defined as a policy approach where a producer's responsibility for a product is extended to the "post-consumer stage" or "waste stage" of the product's life cycle.
• The report includes definitions for workers in the informal sector, specifically 'waste pickers', described as people who participate in the "collection, separation, sorting, transport, and sale of recyclable and reusable materials" in an informal or semi-formal capacity.

APA

Del Castillo, A., Azoulay, D., & Bonacini, C. (2023). Compilation of Key Terms Relevant for the Negotiation of a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Compilation-of-Key-Terms-Relevant-for-the-Negotiation-of-a-Treaty-to-End-Plastic-Pollution_FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Del Castillo, Andrés, David Azoulay, and Cate Bonacini. Compilation of Key Terms Relevant for the Negotiation of a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution. Center for International Environmental Law, 2023. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Compilation-of-Key-Terms-Relevant-for-the-Negotiation-of-a-Treaty-to-End-Plastic-Pollution_FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Del Castillo |first1=Andrés |last2=Azoulay |first2=David |last3=Bonacini |first3=Cate |title=Compilation of Key Terms Relevant for the Negotiation of a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=28 May 2023 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Compilation-of-Key-Terms-Relevant-for-the-Negotiation-of-a-Treaty-to-End-Plastic-Pollution_FINAL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{delcastillo2023compilation, author = {Del Castillo, Andrés and Azoulay, David and Bonacini, Cate}, title = {{Compilation of Key Terms Relevant for the Negotiation of a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Compilation-of-Key-Terms-Relevant-for-the-Negotiation-of-a-Treaty-to-End-Plastic-Pollution_FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }