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

This policy paper maps the landscape of standards and initiatives related to plastic pollution to support international cooperation. It categorizes instruments into government regulations, voluntary multistakeholder standards, and non-governmental initiatives. The paper highlights the role of these standards in the ongoing negotiations for a global plastics treaty (INC) and the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution (DPP), emphasizing the need for inclusiveness for developing countries and the identification of 'standards gaps' across the plastics life cycle.

• The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) is currently working toward an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, with a target conclusion date by the end of 2024.
• As of August 2023, 76 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) support the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP), established in 2021 to examine how trade cooperation can complement efforts to reduce plastic pollution.
• The document distinguishes between three categories of instruments often referred to as 'standards': government legislation and regulations (international or domestic), voluntary multistakeholder standards (developed by standardization bodies), and non-governmental initiatives (including private sector and NGO-led efforts).
• During the second session of the INC (INC-2) in Paris (May 29 to June 2, 2023), stakeholders emphasized the importance of common product design standards, certification, and labelling to promote the reduction, reuse, and repair of plastic products.
• The WTO TBT Agreement encourages members to base domestic technical regulations on relevant international standards, provided they are established by an international standardizing body with open membership and recognized activities.
• Existing international treaties already address plastic pollution through various mechanisms, such as MARPOL's prohibition on disposing of plastic waste at sea, UNCLOS's requirements to control marine pollution by dumping, and the London Protocol's prohibition on dumping waste into the sea.
• The Stockholm Convention and the Basel Convention regulate specific substances and wastes relevant to plastics; the former restricts persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like certain flame-retardants, while the latter's 'plastic waste amendments' regulate the transboundary movement of hazardous and non-hazardous plastic wastes.
• The authors identify several priorities for international cooperation on standards, including improving access for developing countries and environmental organizations to standard-setting processes, and mapping 'standards gaps' in areas like product design, refill systems, and substitute materials.

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} }