The Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty Endorses ‘Bridge to Busan’ Declaration

The Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty— representing more than 250 businesses, financial institutions and NGOs across the plastics value chain—has endorsed the Busan Declaration on Primary Plastic Polymers. The Busan Declaration is calling for an international legally binding instrument that addresses the full life-cycle of plastics.

Unilever is co-chair of the Coalition. Endorsers of the Coalition from the personal care and household products industry include: Beiersdorf, Colgate-Palmolove, Haleon, Henkel, Kenvue, L’occitane, L’Oréal, Reckitt, SC Johnson and Estée Lauder—all of which are part of Happi’s Top 50 and International Top 30, which collectively provides a ranking of the top marketers of household and beauty companies around the world. Converters, producers, NGOs and waste management companies are also backers.

The declaration calls on governments to commit to three key goals:

1. Achieve sustainable levels of production of primary plastic polymers
2. Ensure transparency in the production of primary plastic polymers
3. Agree to a global objective regarding the sustainable production of primary plastic polymers

As set out in the Business Coalition’s Vision Statement published two years ago, the organization acknowledges the need to reduce plastic production and use through a circular economy approach, focusing on those plastics that have high-leakage rates, are short-lived, and/or are made from fossil-based virgin resources.

While the Business Coalition says it remains open to discussing the appropriate type of science-based objectives and measures, it believes it is imperative that production is included in the scope of the plastics treaty. This will allow the Conference of the Parties (COP) to adopt such decisions in the future, and governments to take action on them, it asserts.

Positive Action on Plastic Polymer Production

Based on the Business Coalition’s roadmap towards an effective global plastics treaty (Treaty On A Page), members call on governments to continue discussions on potential elements and actions to achieve sustainable levels of production of primary plastic polymers, such as:

• Each party to the treaty must report on the type and quantity of plastic polymers produced in their country, including information on the origin of the raw materials used.
• Governments should commit to continuously improve their national policies to promote sustainable consumption and production of plastics, safe circular economy approaches and environmentally sound management of plastic waste.
• The plastics treaty should allow the Conference of the Parties (COP) to adopt a global set of quantitative and qualitative targets to strengthen national efforts over time, supporting our desired global outcomes on reduction, circulation, prevention and remediation.
• As part of national implementation plans, the treaty should be able to drive the adoption of economic incentives and regulatory mechanisms to enable the transition to a circular economy, leading to an overall reduction of plastic production and use.