Following the lack of consensus on a final text during the latest negotiations for a Global Treaty to end plastic pollution in Busan, South Korea, in November 2024, the styrenics industry urges negotiators to speed up informal discussions ahead of the next round of INC negotiations set to take place in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 2025. We reiterate our commitment to achieving a global agreement and stand ready to engage with delegations and provide expertise on critical aspects of the future Treaty.
As the styrenics industry, we have closely followed the negotiations and provided constructive input to support the delegations. We participated as observers to the fourth (INC-4) and first part of the fifth session (INC-5.1) of the United Nations International Negotiating Committee (INC), consistently emphasizing the need to achieve a workable framework regulating plastics through a proportionate and science-based approach.
Styrenics industry’s initiatives and position
As an industry at the forefront of addressing plastic pollution, we have heavily invested in expanding recycling capacity for polystyrene across the European Union – showing exceptional results. Our mechanical recycling technology has achieved remarkable purity levels of 99.9% or higher by removing impurities from both usage and waste streams.
Through initiatives and new innovative recycling solutions (read more here and here for more information on innovative solutions for recycled polystyrene for direct food contact use), we ensure that our products are designed to be remade in an infinite loop, preserving the quality of the materials, and kept out of the environment. This allows us to not only guarantee the highest level of product stewardship, but by ensuring recycling and reuse, we are able to reduce the environmental footprint of manufacturing (for more info see here).
Hence, we continue to advocate in favor an application-specific decision tree approach, a criteria-based tool to identify and address problematic and avoidable plastics applications across their entire lifecycle. This approach prioritizes high-leakage products, creating a pathway to ending plastic pollution efficiently.
A second pillar of our proposed approach is the development of a harmonized methodological framework to identify key plastic leakage hotspots. This framework would consider national contexts, empowering stakeholders at every level to make informed, data-driven decisions to combat plastic pollution and accelerate the circular economy, enabling cost-effective actions.
Finally, we urge the Global Plastics Treaty to embed circularity more holistically, promoting circular design, better waste management through prevention, reuse and recycling. For further details on our proposals please see here our latest position paper.
Concerns with proposals on the table at INC-5: why polymer-specific measures are not the way to go
While supporting a comprehensive Global Plastics Treaty, we believe that certain proposals put forward regarding restrictions of problematic and avoidable plastics products are not backed by sound scientific data, ultimately failing to tackle the root causes of pollution. Furthermore, they would conflict with several existing instruments such as Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) including the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Convention, that already cover hazardous waste and sustainable chemicals management. Therefore, we advocate against the inclusion of additional measures on the restriction of substances and polymers to prevent unnecessary duplication of efforts and potential conflicts, while maintaining legal clarity and consistency.
Polymer-specific discriminatory measures that are not carefully justified may lead to substitution with materials that have higher carbon footprints, worsening environmental impacts and socioeconomic consequences, while failing to resolve pollution. Styrenic polymers are vital in various applications, such as insulation, medical devices, renewable energy technologies, and food packaging, where they help preserve food and reduce waste. Restrictive policies that ignore the criticality of these applications, as well as the unique recyclability of styrenics may lead to multifaceted setbacks and stalling innovation.
See here and here for more information on the vital applications of styrenics in key strategic sectors and recyclability of styrenics .
Our committment
We recognize the urgent need for an international agreement to tackle plastic pollution. We maintain our commitment to meaningfully engage and offer expert contributions for a pragmatic and future-proof framework – one that be implemented on the ground and will address the root cause of plastic pollution and unlock innovation, while ensuring no one is left behind.
The styrenics industry calls on the Negotiating Parties to ensure that the Global Plastics Treaty is grounded in sound science that promotes a transition to a circular economy while protecting human health and the environment. We are committed to doing our part to ensure that we reach an agreement during the next round of negotiations INC-5.2 to continue our efforts for a cleaner and more circular world.