Mark your calendars: Session II of the UK National Treaty Dialogues is officially scheduled for 11th April 2023!

In partnership with the UK Government, Ocean Plastics Leadership Network (OPLN) is honoured to announce the second session of the United Kingdom National Treaty Dialogues on Plastic Pollution. This invitation-only neutral convening program brings together leading stakeholders across the plastic crisis ecosystem to collaborate on policy, science, and innovation in conjunction with the UN Plastic Treaty negotiation process. This is a fantastic opportunity for all sectors of the British plastic system to convene before the UN body meets in late May 2023.

The second session of the National Treaty Dialogues is scheduled for April 11th, 2023.

“Plastic pollution has a direct and deadly effect on our wildlife, polluting our ocean and damaging our planet,” said Thérèse Coffey, Secretary of State for the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) during OPLN’s first session of the UK Treaty Dialogues.

“Our laws are already helping to cut waste domestically, and international action is needed to end plastic pollution by 2040. The first of the UK Treaty Dialogues was important in bringing together government, business and environmental organisations on this issue – it’s vital for us all to work together if we are to make progress in tackling plastic pollution globally.”

Thérèse Coffey, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom

About the program

On November 1, 2022, OPLN and the UK government convened the first UK Treaty Dialogue in preparation for the UK’s involvement in the First Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-1), which took place November 26 through December 2, 2022 in Punta Del Este, Uruguay.

Read the recap of the first session here.

The first session of the UK Dialogues brought together voices and perspectives from 35 key impact stakeholders:

• CPG: Coca-Cola, Mondelez, Nestlé, Kimberly Clark, Unilever, Yum Brands
• Government: UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Stroud District Council
• Informal Waste Sector: Tearfund
• NGO: Fauna & Flora International, Recoup, A Plastic Planet, Common Seas, WRAP, EIA
• Break Free From Plastic Members: Greenpeace, Hubbub
• Packaging converters: Berry Global, Alpek Polyester
• Petrochemicals: BPF, Dow, Chemical Industries Association, American Chemistry Council
• Academia: University of Plymouth, University of Oxford
• Waste management: Suez
• SMES: Notpla, Beauty Kitchen

If you’re interested in attending the dialogue session please reach out to marta@opln.org

As Session I of the UK National Treaty Dialogues informed UK inputs at INC-1, the supported contributions from Session II of the UK National Treaty Dialogues will be used to inform inputs at INC-2 and beyond. INC-2 is scheduled to take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France from 29 May to 2 June 2023.

INCs 1 and 2, in Context

The provisional agenda of the second session of the INC to develop a treaty on plastic pollution  is out now - in English - below. Also, registration for INC-2 is now open in the registration tab on this page.

The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-2) will take place from 29 May to 2 June 2023 at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Headquarters in Paris, France.

Read more here.

As INC-2 draws closer, we are offering members and other readers an overview of key points from INC-1 and the intersessional period. This will serve to draw out some key ideas from previous talks and help to engender an understanding of what to expect out of the next session.

On 28 January 2023, the INC-1 Chair in Punta del Este, Uruguay heard updated positions on the plastics treaty from stakeholders the world over. This discussion had evolved significantly since last year’s UNEA 5.2, with a renewed focus on topics such as:

• just transition of lower-income countries,
• health and climate impacts of plastics,
• a more unified, global understanding of waste hierarchy,
• indigenous rights and representation,
• and mitigation of legacy plastics in the environment.

Luis Lacalle Pou, President of Uruguay at INC-1 [Photo by IISD/ENB]

From 26 November to 2 December 2022, representatives from 60 countries gathered to negotiate. Luis Lacalle Pou, President of Uruguay, shared his optimism on the road towards a treaty, noting that his nation had recently issued a unique environment bond valued at USD 1.5 billion. The Committee elected Gustavo Meza-Cuadra of Peru as INC Chair and decided that the chairmanship would alternate to Ecuador after INC-3.

Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, INC Chair (Peru) [Photo by IISD/ENB]