November 29, 2024 | Busan, South Korea — As the fifth and final negotiations on the global plastics treaty continue, experts discuss how a robust Global Plastics Treaty can complement the Basel Convention’s plastic waste trade amendments, for a more comprehensive approach to tackling plastic pollution.
On November 29, the Basel Action Network (BAN), the Break Free from Plastic movement (BFFP), and the ECOTON Foundation emphasized that the global plastic waste trade is a symptom of plastic overproduction. They discussed the drivers of the waste trade, how the myth of plastic circularity perpetuates partial and inefficient recycling in less industrialized economies, and the impact of waste colonialism on local communities, especially children and youth.
The Basel Convention laid crucial groundwork for regulating waste trade but it wasn't designed to address runaway plastic production. The global plastics treaty presents a unique opportunity to address the root cause of plastic pollution and waste trade: plastic overproduction. Globally, plastic production of virgin plastics is projected to increase from 430 Mt in 2019 to 712 Mt by 2040, a 66% increase under a business-as-usual model. The amount of waste already overwhelms waste management systems and drives international waste shipments to countries ill-equipped to handle them. The increase in plastic production will only exacerbate these problems.
Addressing waste trade is crucial for protecting public health, and if we are to tackle plastic pollution at its source, we need a more comprehensive approach that includes trade regulations and production caps. The Global Plastics Treaty can and must complement the Basel Convention if we want a strong, effective, and legally binding tool to tackle plastic pollution at both upstream and downstream levels.
To reiterate these demands, the Community Legal Help and Public Interest Centre (C-HELP), Basel Action Network, and Break Free From Plastic drafted a policy brief to inform how the Global Plastics Treaty and the Basel Convention can address the entire life cycle of plastics.
The policy brief recommends that the new global plastic treaty lay down a new baseline of obligations to reduce plastic waste trade, which should only be allowed under strict criteria as follows:
- Plastic waste trade of all kinds is restricted, including those that are not included by HS Code 3915, or Basel listings B3011, A3210 and Y48, and can only take place for recycling only when the exporting country lacks the ability or resources to build its own capacity for domestic recycling.
- Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of wastes is required for all plastic recycling facilities which includes having official permits, reporting to ensure all waste fractions (inputs and outputs as recyclate or residuals) are accounted for in weight to prevent dumping, installing systems to contain microplastics and VOC emissions, ensuring proper downstream residual waste management, and conserving water.
- Prior Informed Consent (PIC) is required for all countries and for all plastics as the default trade control procedure.
- Exports are banned for all plastic wastes moving from Basel Convention Annex VII (OECD members, EC [now EU] and Liechtenstein) to non-Annex VII countries.
- All plastic wastes are considered as hazardous waste unless it can be demonstrated conclusively otherwise.
Most importantly, the plastic treaty must focus on reducing plastic production as the best and only viable way to reduce plastic waste, and therefore, plastic waste trade and the resulting pollution. Access the full paper here.
QUOTES from SPEAKERS:
Christopher Hudak Esq., Senior Policy Advisor, Basel Action Network
“It is imperative that the global plastics treaty directly address transboundary movement to fill major gaps in the Basel Convention’s coverage and both treaties can work in complementary ways. Overlaps can be worked out after the fact by the treaties’ secretariats to avoid duplications, but gaps would cause serious harm to human health and the environment. Critically, the plastics treaty needs to cut upstream plastic production, since Basel does not have meaningful production controls. Other key fixes are to classify all plastic waste as hazardous unless proven otherwise, to ban any plastic waste trade from Basel Article VII (high-income) countries to non-Annex VII (developing) countries, to require Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure for all other waste trade, to permit exports of plastic waste only for recycling when the exporting country truly lacks capacity, and to require rigorous environmentally sound management for recycling.”
Pui Yi Wong, Researcher, Basel Action Network
“The evidence is clear that plastic waste exports devastate the health of people and the environments in destination countries. The massive volumes of plastic waste being sent to our countries in Southeast Asia burdens our imperfect waste management systems. Waste crimes, including waste trafficking and open burning, are on the rise. The global plastic treaty must not be a waste management treaty that falsely depends on recycling to solve plastic pollution. For the treaty to be effective, it must reduce plastic production and end the unjust practice of waste colonialism.”
Daru Setyorini, Executive Director, Ecoton
“Plastic recycling is fundamentally flawed due to multiple interconnected challenges: the toxic chemical combinations inherent in plastic materials, inadequate product design, and a low demand for recycled plastics. Exported plastic recycling has poisoned Indonesia's environment, drinking water, and food chain with dioxins, furans, and microplastics. Local communities especially in West Java, East Java, and North Sumatra suffer severe health impacts like respiratory illnesses, cancers, and miscarriages from open dumping and burning plastics scraps from recycled industries. Plastic waste export is modern waste colonialism that must end. A strong, binding plastic treaty is necessary to stop this injustice. All countries should manage their own waste instead of dumping it on others.”
Aeshnina (Nina) Azzahara Aqilani, Co-Captain, River Warrior Indonesia
“The developed countries must support a strong treaty to halt the plastic waste trade for recycling. They must recycle their own waste and stop overwhelming lower-income countries already struggling with waste management. Scientific studies confirm that plastics release toxic chemicals and microplastics throughout their lifecycle—persistent, carcinogenic, and hormone-disrupting. No place on earth is safe from this plastic crisis, not even the womb, now contaminated by microplastics and phthalates. Unborn babies are inheriting toxic plastic contamination. We, the future generation, deserve to live in a healthy world. We want a strong treaty to protect human health and the environment by reducing plastic production, eliminating threats from toxic chemicals throughout the plastic life cycle and controlling releases and emissions of toxic plastic chemicals."
Coleen Salamat, Asia Pacific Project Coordinator for Waste Trade, Break Free From Plastic (Moderator)
“This is our historic chance to end the plastic crisis and that should include the plastic waste trade. Without strong provisions for Global Plastic Treaty to harmonize with the guiding principles of Basel Convention, reducing plastic production, banning single-use plastics, eliminating hazardous chemicals, and institutionalizing reuse as a genuine solution to plastic pollution then it would still be business as usual. We need a strong global plastic treaty that truly addresses the full lifecycle of plastic.”
Key Resources:
[Policy Brief] Plastic Waste Trade for “Recycling”: A Symptom of Plastic Over–Production
[Research Paper] Dioxin Concentration is 70 times higher than safe limit for consumption
[BBC Coverage] Plastic Recycling’s Dirty Secrets: Article | Podcast
About Break Free From Plastic – #BreakFreeFromPlastic is a global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution. Since its launch in 2016, more than 3,500 organizations representing millions of individual supporters around the world, have joined the movement to demand massive reductions in single-use plastics and push for lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. BFFP member organizations and individuals share the values of environmental protection and social justice, and work together through a holistic approach to bring about systemic change. This means tackling plastic pollution across the whole plastics value chain—from extraction to disposal—focusing on prevention rather than cure and providing effective solutions. www.breakfreefromplastic.org.
About Basel Action Network
Founded in 1997, the Basel Action Network (BAN) is a 501(c)3 charitable organization of the United States, based in Seattle, WA. BAN is the world's only organization focused on confronting the global environmental justice and economic inefficiency of toxic trade and its devastating impacts. Today, BAN serves as the information clearinghouse on the subject of waste trade for journalists, academics, and the general public. Through its investigations, BAN uncovered the tragedy of hazardous electronic waste dumping in developing countries. www.BAN.org.
About ECOTON
Ecoton Foundation (Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation) is an environmental organization based in Indonesia. ECOTON focuses on the conservation of wetland ecosystems, particularly rivers, with a strong emphasis on community involvement, environmental education, environmental advocacy and climate change. https://ecoton.or.id.
