Waste Trade: Asia Pacific

Is it appropriate for the global plastic treaty to address one of the worst symptoms of the plastic waste crisis – the plastic waste trade for recycling? And if so, how can it go beyond the 2021 Basel Convention Amendments, in addressing the gaps in policy and implementation? This policy brief critically examines how continued plastic waste trade under the guise of recycling, is a symptom of plastic over-production, and how the Global Plastic Treaty can fix it.

A report on youth activist, Aeshnina Azzahra Aqilani's action at the fifth intergovernmental negotiations for the Global Plastics Treaty, in Busan, South Korea. Through her inspired action, she calls for a global reduction in plastic production and a ban on toxic chemicals in plastic manufacturing.

Nina's Journey at INC4 - Aeshnina Azzahra Aqilani, or Nina, was invited by the UN Environment Programme to attend the Global Plastics Treaty talks in Ottawa, Canada, from April 23-29, 2024. Representing Indonesia among 170 countries, and as a global youth ambassador, Nina actively participated in discussions, workshops, and rallies, sharing her insights on the plastic waste crisis and proposing innovative solutions. Here's a report on her incredible advocacy efforts at the INC-4.

In the wake of UNEA 5.2, as global leaders work towards an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution, the issue of plastic waste trade is largely ignored. This briefing paper tackles the elephant in the room, with a focus on issues in Asia Pacific, to make a case for issuing stringent controls to protect weaker economies from plastic waste trade from developing countries.