SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
UN fires the starting gun
But hopes are high that this may soon change . Professor Fletcher is a member of the UN International Resource Panel and a member a team advising the UN Environment Programme ( UNEP ) on plastics policy . The UN Environment Assembly , in March , made history when it agreed on a mandate to establish a treaty to end plastics pollution .
For Professor Fletcher and his colleagues , it was a “ mega step change ”.
“ This is the world ’ s highest level environmental decision-making body . For the first time , it has initiated a process for developing a legally binding global treaty to end plastics pollution , and 175 countries signed .
“ It ’ s not a binding treaty yet , but the starting gun has been fired .”
Professor Fletcher says the process now is to develop a policy framework for a legally binding agreement to be on the table for signing by the end of 2024 .
The work of the University ’ s Global Plastics Policy Centre will provide useful evidence to support the negotiations to develop the global agreement .
Technical muscle
The Global Plastics Policy Centre is the world ’ s only independent research body with a dedicated team focused on developing rigorous , evidencebased plastics policy analysis . Its work is supported by the Netherlands-based Flotilla Foundation , a philanthropic body with a mission to enhance humankind ’ s relationship with the marine environment .
Professor Fletcher believes the most effective pathway for a resolution to the plastics issue is a totally new approach to
Our role is not to lead or influence but to provide technical support for the development of the global agreement and , where requested , help countries identify or firm up the contributions they can make towards the negotiations .
– Professor Steve Fletcher
plastics manufacturing , consumption , and reuse or recycling . He says the issue is too complex to expect changing people ’ s behaviour , which has been the focus to date , to be the sole answer .
“ It sounds the most malleable option , but is massively constrained by a community ’ s economic capability , people ’ s knowledge and awareness , and the existence of infrastructure such as recycling facilities ,” says Professor Fletcher .
New thinking
“ The other school of thought , therefore , is to change the system to give consumers proper information and choice about products . For example , label goods with information about recycling and reusability . At the moment we have thousands of different types of plastic , few of which can be recycled because of their chemistry . But consumers don ’ t know which is which .”
Professor Fletcher says a global plastics treaty won ’ t address this directly , but it will set goals for policies and research .
“ We don ’ t know what the global goal is right now because that will be part of the negotiations . But given the mandate is to end plastics pollution , the anticipation is that there will be a target and that target will be to end plastics pollution by a certain date .”
26 ISSUE 04 / 2022