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

This briefing proposes a new global Convention on Plastic Pollution to address the fragmented nature of existing international and regional frameworks. It outlines a multi-layered governance approach based on four pillars: coordination with existing agreements, pollution prevention through harmonization and control measures, capacity building and financial support for developing countries, and technical support for science-based decision-making. The document suggests an institutional architecture led by a Conference of the Parties and supported by a secretariat hosted by UN Environment, alongside specialized subsidiary bodies for funding, compliance, and knowledge exchange.

• The document argues that a new global Convention on Plastic Pollution is necessary because current governance is fragmented and fails to adequately address marine plastic litter and microplastics, especially given that over 335 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually, with more than eight million tonnes entering oceans.
• The proposed Convention is structured around four pillars of action: Coordination, Plastic Pollution Prevention, Capacity Building and Financial Support, and Technical Support and Knowledge Exchange Mechanism.
• Under the Coordination pillar, the briefing identifies several existing instruments that the new Convention should complement, including the Basel Convention (transboundary waste), MARPOL (pollution from ships), the London Convention and Protocol (dumping of wastes), the Stockholm Convention (persistent organic pollutants), the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), UNCLOS (law of the sea), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
• The Plastic Pollution Prevention pillar suggests two tracks: Track 1 focuses on harmonization of definitions, methodologies, and standards for labelling and product design; Track 2 focuses on control measures, including global market restrictions on certain polymers, additives, and single-use plastics, as well as caps on virgin plastic production.
• To support developing countries, the document proposes financial assistance for costs related to policy development, institutional strengthening, monitoring, reporting, and incremental compliance costs for meeting production and consumption reduction targets.
• The proposed institutional architecture features a Conference of the Parties as the decision-making body and a secretariat hosted by UN Environment, supported by subsidiary bodies such as a Multilateral Fund (similar to the Montreal Protocol's model), Technical Bodies, an Implementation and Compliance Committee, Coordination Task Forces, and Knowledge Exchange Networks.

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} }