UNPACKING REUSE IN THE PLASTIC POLLUTION TREATY

WWF proposes a 'start then strengthen' approach for the global Plastic Pollution Treaty, focusing on five priority plastic applications for reuse: prefilled beverage bottles, takeaway food and beverage containers, on-site single-use products, consumer delivery packaging, and B2B closed-loop packaging. The report advocates for binding global reuse targets, harmonised definitions, and minimum performance standards for both products and systems to prevent 'reuse in name only'. It emphasizes that a global treaty is necessary to overcome market failures and high start-up costs that hinder individual business adoption of reuse systems. Recommended implementation tools include Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, deposit return systems (DRS), and multilateral funding to support a just transition, particularly for low-income countries and informal waste pickers.

• The report identifies five priority plastic applications most suited for immediate reuse control measures: prefilled beverages in plastic bottles, takeaway food and beverage plastic containers, on-site single-use plastic products, consumer delivery plastic packaging, and B2B plastic packaging in closed-loop operations.
• Optimised reuse systems can significantly reduce environmental impacts compared to single-use plastics, with potential greenhouse gas emission reductions between 35% and 80% and water usage reductions of up to 70% for beverage bottles.
• To avoid 'reuse in name only'—where products are labelled reusable but do not deliver environmental benefits—the treaty must establish minimum requirements for both the products (e.g., a minimum of 10 rotations) and the systems (e.g., a 90% return rate).
• The report recommends a 'start then strengthen' approach, where the treaty begins with ambitious action on the five priority products and evolves to include more products and higher standards as knowledge and technology improve.
• Global regulation is deemed essential because individual businesses lack a 'first mover advantage' due to high start-up costs and the existing optimization of single-use supply chains.
• The report advocates for the use of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) to fund reuse infrastructure and ensure high return rates.
• A just transition is necessary to ensure that reuse systems do not marginalize informal waste pickers or disproportionately burden low-income communities and women.

APA

Stunell, D., Bapasola, A., Somlai, C., Gray, L., Crick, T., Farnbacher, A., Griestop, L., Sørfonn, S. W., Beaumier, J., Chin, P., Duncan, J., Gonzalez, M. A., Habesland, D., & Huu, H. H. (2024). UNPACKING REUSE IN THE PLASTIC POLLUTION TREATY. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2385/unpacking_reuse_240410_high-res.pdf

Chicago

Stunell, Daniel, Ayesha Bapasola, Celia Somlai, Louis Gray, Tom Crick, Anne Farnbacher, Laura Griestop, et al. UNPACKING REUSE IN THE PLASTIC POLLUTION TREATY. WWF International, 2024. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2385/unpacking_reuse_240410_high-res.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stunell |first1=Daniel |last2=Bapasola |first2=Ayesha |last3=Somlai |first3=Celia |last4=Gray |first4=Louis |last5=Crick |first5=Tom |last6=Farnbacher |first6=Anne |last7=Griestop |first7=Laura |last8=Sørfonn |first8=Silje Woxholth |last9=Beaumier |first9=Julia |display-authors=etal |title=UNPACKING REUSE IN THE PLASTIC POLLUTION TREATY |publisher=WWF International |date=April 2024 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2385/unpacking_reuse_240410_high-res.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stunell2024unpacking, author = {Stunell, Daniel and Bapasola, Ayesha and Somlai, Celia and Gray, Louis and Crick, Tom and Farnbacher, Anne and Griestop, Laura and Sørfonn, Silje Woxholth and Beaumier, Julia and Chin, Paula and Duncan, John and Gonzalez, Maria Alejandra and Habesland, Daniel and Huu, Huy Ho}, title = {{UNPACKING REUSE IN THE PLASTIC POLLUTION TREATY}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2385/unpacking_reuse_240410_high-res.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }