Plastic Pollution and Trade Across the Life Cycle of Plastics: Options for Amending the Harmonized System to Improve Transparency

The policy brief argues that reliable, granular trade data is essential for evidence-based policymaking to tackle plastic pollution, but the current World Customs Organization (WCO) Harmonized System (HS) lacks sufficient detail. It highlights seven key shortfalls in the HS, including inadequate differentiation of primary plastics, gaps in identifying harmful chemical additives, and a failure to track 'hidden' plastics embedded in other products. The authors propose a series of amendments for the 2022–2027 HS cycle, focusing on disaggregating polymer types, improving the classification of plastic waste to align with the Basel Convention, and revealing information on single-use plastics and packaging.

• International trade across the life cycle of plastics is a massive economic sector, with exports valued at at least $1 trillion in 2019, representing at least 5% of total global trade value.
• The current Harmonized System (HS) fails to provide sufficient differentiation for primary plastics, as most are clustered under a catch-all "other" category, and it lacks a specific category for recycled plastic polymers.
• There is a significant lack of transparency regarding 'hidden' plastics—those embedded in non-plastic goods (such as cars) or used as packaging for internationally traded products—because the HS generally classifies packaging with the goods they accompany.
• The HS does not adequately differentiate between specific persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and other harmful chemical additives used in plastics, which hinders the ability of governments to monitor and control these substances in accordance with the Stockholm and Rotterdam conventions.
• Existing HS classifications for plastic waste do not align with the definitions and terminology used in the Basel Convention's plastic waste amendments, complicating the regulation of transboundary waste movements.
• The HS provides very limited information on single-use plastics and plastic packaging, often clustering diverse products like bottles, sacks, and kitchenware together, which obstructs national efforts to regulate specific high-concern items.
• The authors recommend a specific set of amendments for the 2027 HS cycle, including creating new subheadings for commonly recycled primary polymers (ethylene, propylene, and styrene) and adding codes for chemicals controlled by the Stockholm or Rotterdam Conventions.
• To improve waste management and recycling, the document suggests that trade data needs to include information on whether products are mono-polymers or mixtures, the polymer grade (flexible vs rigid), and the presence of pigments or hazardous substances that reduce the value of recycled material.

APA

Eyzaguirre, C. V., & Birkbeck, C. D. (2022). Plastic Pollution and Trade Across the Life Cycle of Plastics: Options for Amending the Harmonized System to Improve Transparency. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs. https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Policy-Brief-Plastic-Pollution-and-Trade-Across-the-Life-Cycle-of-Plastics.pdf?dm=1678487297

Chicago

Eyzaguirre, Carla Vaca, and Carolyn Deere Birkbeck. Plastic Pollution and Trade Across the Life Cycle of Plastics: Options for Amending the Harmonized System to Improve Transparency. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs, 2022. https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Policy-Brief-Plastic-Pollution-and-Trade-Across-the-Life-Cycle-of-Plastics.pdf?dm=1678487297.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Eyzaguirre |first1=Carla Vaca |last2=Birkbeck |first2=Carolyn Deere |title=Plastic Pollution and Trade Across the Life Cycle of Plastics: Options for Amending the Harmonized System to Improve Transparency |publisher=Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs |date=May 2022 |url=https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Policy-Brief-Plastic-Pollution-and-Trade-Across-the-Life-Cycle-of-Plastics.pdf?dm=1678487297 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{eyzaguirre2022plastic, author = {Eyzaguirre, Carla Vaca and Birkbeck, Carolyn Deere}, title = {{Plastic Pollution and Trade Across the Life Cycle of Plastics: Options for Amending the Harmonized System to Improve Transparency}}, institution = {Forum on Trade, Environment, \& the SDGs}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Policy-Brief-Plastic-Pollution-and-Trade-Across-the-Life-Cycle-of-Plastics.pdf?dm=1678487297}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }