Plastics Webinar. No data, no deal: why science and data must drive final plastics treaty negotiations
Thurs 17 July, 04:00 and 13:00 GMT
As delegates prepare for the resumed negotiations for the global plastic treaty (INC-5.2), the need for data-driven decision-making has never been more critical. Previous negotiations were notably disconnected from scientific evidence, and calls for mechanisms of transparency, accountability and reporting went unanswered.
The availability of data to track the ‘full life cycle’ of plastics into and within a national economy will be critical to support a robust and effective regime for plastics. However, data availability and national data infrastructure for plastics have so far been overlooked within the global policy dialogues, which has led to persistent gaps in ambition and implementation.
To date, no country has reported data across the full lifecycle of plastics. Over one quarter (26%) regularly reports data on waste generation, and one quarter (25%) consistently reports data on recycling, as evidenced in the Global Plastics Data Tracker. This information gap undermines our ability to design effective policies, track progress, and hold ourselves accountable for the commitments we make.
The Chair’s Text, developed at the end of previous negotiations in Busan, South Korea (INC-5.1), will form the basis of discussions at INC-5.2. Alarmingly, mechanisms of transparency, accountability and reporting remain underdiscussed in the Chair’s Text, and a system for tracking national and global progress is notably ambiguous. Without comprehensive data systems in place, we risk creating a treaty that cannot be effectively implemented or monitored.
To be effective and deliver on its promise of ending plastic pollution – any final treaty text must include a binding obligation to compile relevant national data on plastics.
Without bridging this data gap, we risk undermining the new global regime before it even begins.
The UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform (CSDR) and Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) Secretariat have developed several tools to support countries in identifying data gaps, targeting priority areas for capacity building and developing a work plan to strengthen national data systems.
Join this webinar where experts in environmental law and science will:
- Examine why data must be central to the final negotiations and how the current information gap undermines effective plastics governance
- Assess the current state of global plastics data availability using the Global Plastics Data Tracker
- Introduce practical tools developed to support countries in strengthening their national data on plastics across the lifecycle
- Explore country perspectives on data challenges and opportunities in treaty implementation