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Towards a Global Plastics Treaty: Navigating Policy Preferences and Economic Interests

Dreyer, Elin ; Hansen, Teis ; Holmberg, Karl LU orcid ; Kielhöfer, Lionel ; Olsen, Tara and Stripple, Johannes LU (2025) In Cambridge Prisms: Plastics 3. p.1-24
Abstract
At the fifth session of the United Nations (UN) Environment Assembly in March 2022, UN member states were mandated to negotiate an international, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. This article assesses pre-session submissions from the second and third negotiation rounds to identify proposed measures and priorities for the treaty. The analysis, employing systematic qualitative content analysis, focuses on the comprehensiveness of submissions, variations in proposed measures across the plastics value chain and political-economic factors influencing state positions. Results reveal a divergence between ambitious clusters advocating for upstream regulatory measures and less ambitious clusters emphasising downstream waste... (More)
At the fifth session of the United Nations (UN) Environment Assembly in March 2022, UN member states were mandated to negotiate an international, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. This article assesses pre-session submissions from the second and third negotiation rounds to identify proposed measures and priorities for the treaty. The analysis, employing systematic qualitative content analysis, focuses on the comprehensiveness of submissions, variations in proposed measures across the plastics value chain and political-economic factors influencing state positions. Results reveal a divergence between ambitious clusters advocating for upstream regulatory measures and less ambitious clusters emphasising downstream waste management. As negotiations progress, countries with vested interests in plastic production are likely to defend their economic positions by advocating for a treaty limited to downstream solutions. This approach risks diluting the treaty’s impact by failing to address production levels, potentially undermining the overarching goal of ending plastic pollution. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
policy mix, United Nations, Plastics treaty, plastic pollution, legally binding instrument
in
Cambridge Prisms: Plastics
volume
3
pages
24 pages
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:105016719906
ISSN
2755-094X
DOI
10.1017/plc.2025.10030
project
STEPS – Sustainable Plastics and Transition Pathways, Phase 2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2d1c68de-2c65-4266-a19e-dbb3496e1611
date added to LUP
2025-10-19 20:41:44
date last changed
2025-10-20 08:49:05
@article{2d1c68de-2c65-4266-a19e-dbb3496e1611,
  abstract     = {{At the fifth session of the United Nations (UN) Environment Assembly in March 2022, UN member states were mandated to negotiate an international, legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. This article assesses pre-session submissions from the second and third negotiation rounds to identify proposed measures and priorities for the treaty. The analysis, employing systematic qualitative content analysis, focuses on the comprehensiveness of submissions, variations in proposed measures across the plastics value chain and political-economic factors influencing state positions. Results reveal a divergence between ambitious clusters advocating for upstream regulatory measures and less ambitious clusters emphasising downstream waste management. As negotiations progress, countries with vested interests in plastic production are likely to defend their economic positions by advocating for a treaty limited to downstream solutions. This approach risks diluting the treaty’s impact by failing to address production levels, potentially undermining the overarching goal of ending plastic pollution.}},
  author       = {{Dreyer, Elin and Hansen, Teis and Holmberg, Karl and Kielhöfer, Lionel and Olsen, Tara and Stripple, Johannes}},
  issn         = {{2755-094X}},
  keywords     = {{policy mix; United Nations; Plastics treaty; plastic pollution; legally binding instrument}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{09}},
  pages        = {{1--24}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{Cambridge Prisms: Plastics}},
  title        = {{Towards a Global Plastics Treaty: Navigating Policy Preferences and Economic Interests}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/plc.2025.10030}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/plc.2025.10030}},
  volume       = {{3}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}