It was never going to be easy to find common ground between developed and developing countries, plastic producers and those who face the impact of its pollution, but it had to happen. Virgin plastic production has risen from two million tons per year in 1950, to 367 million in 2020 and is projected to exceed a billion tons annually by 2050.

At the same time, there has been a sharp rise in plastic leakage into the environment in recent years, and the trend is only set to continue. Approximately seven of the estimated 9.2 billion tons of plastics produced between 1950 and 2017 is now waste, and three-quarters of that has been dumped at landfills or is accumulating in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.  

Until now, there has been no overarching approach to tackling this crisis. The current regulations are fragmented and unable to meet the severity of the situation head-on. A combination of voluntary approaches and bans on selected items offer no match for corporate greenwashing and unabated plastic production.

The toxic legacy resulting from rampant overproduction of virgin plastics and their lifecycles is irreversible. But business-as-usual doesn't have to continue.

Bans are not enough

In advance of the negotiations, two approaches were on the table. One was based on reducing production and consumption while simultaneously improving the way plastics are designed for increased reusability and recyclability.

The other focussed solely on plastic pollution in the marine environment and offered a narrow scope for potential interventions.

In the end, after long nights of negotiating, the former won out. It was clear that single-use plastic bans and waste management would not effectively change the course of plastic pollution and planetary health for good. 

A promising start

Broadly speaking, NGOs were happy with the result, which shows that the narrative has moved beyond the narrow scope of considering the issue as "just plastic in the oceans". It has now been officially recognised as a problem that spans the entire lifecycle of plastics and their impact on all environments and human health. 

Critically, the mandate also includes language around sustainable production and consumption of plastics, as well as product design and the environmentally sound management of waste. 

Moreover, we have the prospect of a legal agreement that could eventually monitor and reduce the rampant production of virgin plastics, while simultaneously taking steps to phase out problematic products and financially supporting developing countries on the path to implementation.

Now that the gavel has dropped on the decision to take this work forward, we are preparing for the challenging task of ensuring that ambition during negotiations remains both high and urgent. We are not yet out of the woods, but at least we have the map.  

Christina Dixon is Deputy Ocean Campaign Lead at the Environmental Investigation Agency. In her work as a campaigner, she has been focussed on plastics and pollution from fisheries since 2013.