Abstract
A negotiation process underway to design a global treaty
on plastics waste pollution presents a unique opportunity
to concretise plastics governance at international level. The
mandate to negotiate an internationally binding legal
instrument was laid down in UNEA Resolution 5/14,
adopted at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) 5.2 in
March 2022. Setting that mandate was historic in recognising
the multiple threats posed by the rising scale of plastics
production, consumption and waste for our climate,
biodiversity, and emerging concerns for human health. The
resolution effectively acknowledged that binding international
legal obligations are needed to tackle the complex and diverse
problems caused by plastics pollution globally, rather than
reliance on voluntary agreements and goals.