The global plastics treaty will start to take shape this week as the third round of talks begins in Nairobi, Kenya. PN's Steve Toloken is reporting from the meetings, and in today’s Material Insights he sets the stage for the key topics that delegates will be debating.
The same differences still exist from the last round of talks in Paris, which caused a two-day delay, but since then negotiators have come up with what they’ve called a zero draft. But they still have big issues to debate. Will there be flexibility in how countries deal with plastics, or will the treaty have detailed recommendations? Chemical health and the impact of plastics on people are being debated, including in the human body but also in communities around plastic plants and in developing countries.
Other topics include recycling, extended producer responsibility, fees or limits on virgin resin production, and how to regulate chemical recycling.
Toloken is on the scene as are representatives from most of the U.S. plastics industry, including the American Chemistry Council, Plastics Industry Association, Vinyl Institute and the EPS Industry Alliance. At least for a week, Nairobi is the center of the global plastics industry.
