Trade-Related Considerations in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment

The document analyzes how the global plastics economy, valued at $1.1 trillion in 2023, necessitates international trade cooperation to end plastic pollution. It explores four key areas: proposed treaty obligations (such as restrictions on chemicals of concern and waste trade), safeguards against disguised protectionism, the socio-economic costs of implementation for governments and MSMEs, and the treaty's relationship with other international instruments like the WTO and various Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs).

• The scale of international trade in plastics is immense, with the global plastics trade valued at $1.1 trillion in 2023 and over 78% of produced plastics traded internationally.
• Proposed treaty provisions with trade implications include restrictions on the production, use, and trade of certain plastic products and chemicals of concern, controls on plastic waste trade, product design requirements, and mandatory reporting on trade data across the plastics life cycle.
• To prevent the treaty from being used for disguised protectionism, INC members are considering language—often derived from GATT Article XX and the 1992 Rio Declaration—to ensure measures do not constitute arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination.
• Implementation of trade-related obligations may impose significant fiscal burdens on governments, particularly those lacking quality and conformity assessment infrastructure, such as testing facilities.
• Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), especially in developing countries, may struggle with the costs of complying with new technical requirements in export markets due to limited access to financing and technology.
• While some INC members argue that trade obligations in an MEA might conflict with WTO rules, the document notes that no trade measure taken under an MEA has ever been found to be contrary to WTO rules, and the WTO Trade and Environment Database lists nearly 2,000 such measures.

APA

Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (2025). Trade-Related Considerations in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment. https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/Trade-in-INC-5.2_TESS_Aug-8_Final.pdf?dm=1754650007

Chicago

Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs. Trade-Related Considerations in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment. 2025. https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/Trade-in-INC-5.2_TESS_Aug-8_Final.pdf?dm=1754650007.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs |title=Trade-Related Considerations in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment |date=8 August 2025 |url=https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/Trade-in-INC-5.2_TESS_Aug-8_Final.pdf?dm=1754650007 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forumontradeenvironmentthesdgs2025traderelated, author = {{Forum on Trade, Environment, \& the SDGs}}, title = {{Trade-Related Considerations in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, Including in the Marine Environment}}, institution = {Forum on Trade, Environment, \& the SDGs}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/Trade-in-INC-5.2_TESS_Aug-8_Final.pdf?dm=1754650007}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }