Standards and Related Initiatives in International Cooperation to End Plastic Pollution: Mapping and State of Play

The document categorizes plastics-related instruments into government legislation, voluntary multistakeholder standards, and non-governmental initiatives. It identifies significant gaps in standards for upstream production and reuse systems, while noting a concentration of existing efforts in waste management. The authors argue for enhanced international cooperation to reduce regulatory fragmentation and improve inclusivity for developing countries, suggesting that a future global plastics treaty could drive the development of harmonized design and transparency standards.

• The authors distinguish between three categories of instruments often referred to as 'standards': government legislation and regulations (binding or non-binding), voluntary multistakeholder standards developed by standardization bodies (e.g., ISO, IEC), and non-governmental initiatives including private sector sustainability standards.
• Existing intergovernmental efforts are heavily concentrated on the waste management stage of the plastics life cycle, particularly regarding the marine environment, with fewer initiatives addressing upstream aspects like design and manufacturing.
• There are notable 'standards gaps' in the plastics life cycle, specifically regarding the provision and refinement of feedstocks, the sale of plastic products, and the implementation of reuse and refill systems.
• The proliferation of diverse national and private sector standards creates regulatory fragmentation, which increases compliance costs for producers and exporters and can undermine global action.
• Developing countries face significant barriers to participating in and implementing international standards due to gaps in technical and financial capacity, as well as the costs associated with purchasing standards.
• The ongoing Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process for a global plastics treaty provides an opportunity to establish harmonized definitions, technical standards, and metrics for product design, transparency of material composition, and circularity.
• The WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution (DPP) focuses on trade-related dimensions, seeking to avoid regulatory fragmentation and enhance transparency regarding trade policies and the use of international standards to support sustainable plastics trade.
• The WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) encourages members to base domestic technical regulations on relevant international standards to avoid creating unnecessary obstacles to international trade.

APA

Birkbeck, C. D., Sugathan, M., Boinnard, S., Grekova, V., & Cleeland, B. (2023). Standards and Related Initiatives in International Cooperation to End Plastic Pollution: Mapping and State of Play. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs. https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Policy-Paper-Standards-to-End-Plastic-Pollution.pdf?dm=1694173055

Chicago

Birkbeck, Carolyn Deere, Mahesh Sugathan, Sophie Boinnard, Valeriia Grekova, and Belinda Cleeland. Standards and Related Initiatives in International Cooperation to End Plastic Pollution: Mapping and State of Play. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs, 2023. https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Policy-Paper-Standards-to-End-Plastic-Pollution.pdf?dm=1694173055.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Birkbeck |first1=Carolyn Deere |last2=Sugathan |first2=Mahesh |last3=Boinnard |first3=Sophie |last4=Grekova |first4=Valeriia |last5=Cleeland |first5=Belinda |title=Standards and Related Initiatives in International Cooperation to End Plastic Pollution: Mapping and State of Play |publisher=Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs |date=September 2023 |url=https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Policy-Paper-Standards-to-End-Plastic-Pollution.pdf?dm=1694173055 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{birkbeck2023standards, author = {Birkbeck, Carolyn Deere and Sugathan, Mahesh and Boinnard, Sophie and Grekova, Valeriia and Cleeland, Belinda}, title = {{Standards and Related Initiatives in International Cooperation to End Plastic Pollution: Mapping and State of Play}}, institution = {Forum on Trade, Environment, \& the SDGs}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Policy-Paper-Standards-to-End-Plastic-Pollution.pdf?dm=1694173055}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }