TOWARD A NEW GLOBAL CONVENTION WITH A MULTI-LAYERED GOVERNANCE APPROACH TO ADDRESS PLASTIC POLLUTION

The briefing proposes a new global Convention on Plastic Pollution to address the failure of existing fragmented governance to manage the 335 million tonnes of plastic produced annually. It outlines four pillars of action: coordination with existing treaties, pollution prevention through production caps and market restrictions, financial support for developing countries, and technical knowledge exchange. The proposed institutional architecture includes a Conference of the Parties, a secretariat hosted by UN Environment, and a Multilateral Fund modeled after the Montreal Protocol.

• Current international and regional governance of plastic pollution is fragmented and insufficient, failing to adequately address marine plastic litter and microplastics despite the production of over 335 million tonnes of plastic per year.
• A new global Convention on Plastic Pollution is necessary and must have a mandate that covers the entire lifecycle of plastics, specifically including the production phase.
• The proposed Convention should be organized around four pillars: coordination with existing frameworks, prevention of plastic pollution, capacity building and financial support, and technical support and knowledge exchange.
• Pollution prevention should be the primary mandate, utilizing two tracks: one for harmonization of definitions, inventories, and standards, and another for control measures such as production caps on virgin plastic and prohibitions on certain single-use plastics and additives.
• The proposed institutional structure would be led by a Conference of the Parties and a UN Environment-hosted secretariat, supported by a dedicated Implementation and Compliance Committee and a funding mechanism.
• To support developing countries, the document suggests a funding mechanism similar to the Montreal Protocol’s Multilateral Fund or the use of the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2018). TOWARD A NEW GLOBAL CONVENTION WITH A MULTI-LAYERED GOVERNANCE APPROACH TO ADDRESS PLASTIC POLLUTION. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thought-starter-for-a-new-global-convention-with-a-multi-layered-governance-approach-to-address-plastic-pollution-Nov-2018.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. TOWARD A NEW GLOBAL CONVENTION WITH A MULTI-LAYERED GOVERNANCE APPROACH TO ADDRESS PLASTIC POLLUTION. 2018. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thought-starter-for-a-new-global-convention-with-a-multi-layered-governance-approach-to-address-plastic-pollution-Nov-2018.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=TOWARD A NEW GLOBAL CONVENTION WITH A MULTI-LAYERED GOVERNANCE APPROACH TO ADDRESS PLASTIC POLLUTION |date=November 2018 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thought-starter-for-a-new-global-convention-with-a-multi-layered-governance-approach-to-address-plastic-pollution-Nov-2018.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2018toward, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{TOWARD A NEW GLOBAL CONVENTION WITH A MULTI-LAYERED GOVERNANCE APPROACH TO ADDRESS PLASTIC POLLUTION}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2018}, month = nov, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thought-starter-for-a-new-global-convention-with-a-multi-layered-governance-approach-to-address-plastic-pollution-Nov-2018.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }