Avoiding Double Work
This year could be pivotal for regulations on chemical and plastic management. However, we must ensure that the various initiatives complement rather than compete with each other.
Have you ever watched a skilled juggler? They know precisely how many balls they can keep in the air before the entire performance collapses. When I observe the multiple efforts to advance global chemicals management, I feel that same mixture of excitement and apprehension. I desperately want these initiatives to succeed, yet I find myself holding my breath, anticipating their collapse at any moment. My concern is that stakeholders are attempting too much simultaneously, overextending themselves with too many competing priorities.
But let's start on a positive note: This year could mark the most significant advancement in chemicals management for quite some time. We're seeing revisions to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions aimed at protecting human health and the environment from harmful chemicals and waste. Additionally, nations are in the final stages of negotiating "an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution [...] based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic," as stated in a groundbreaking UN Environment Assembly resolution from three years ago. In essence, the world is moving toward a "Global Plastic Treaty" – urgently needed given the millions of tons of plastic waste entering our environment each year.
Negotiations must not be overloaded
However, this treaty risks becoming overloaded, attempting to address "Everything Everywhere All at Once" (to borrow the title of a popular film). When I see efforts to combine waste management with production reductions and chemicals regulation – not to mention financing and resource allocation – I seriously doubt whether the negotiations resuming this August in Geneva, Switzerland are on a promising path.
Yet there remains hope for effective chemicals management through another significant instrument: the Global Framework on Chemicals, established under the UN Environment Programme in 2023. This initiative unites governments, businesses, NGOs, and scientists to develop regulatory systems in each country that ensure the safe lifecycle of chemicals, particularly their use in materials and products such as plastics.
The problem is that the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations are targeting similar objectives. This creates redundancy, and in my view, when it comes to regulating chemicals, the Global Framework should take precedence. I sincerely hope that the first round of concrete discussions on implementing this framework, beginning this week in Punta del Este, Uruguay, will be successful.
The meeting focusses on establishing essential prerequisites for incorporating the framework's objectives into national legislation. This requires coordination on fundamentals – criteria, methods, and data – all founded on sound science and robust risk management. What's also needed is an open exchange about effective practices and impactful measures.
The chemical industry is prepared to fulfill its responsibilities and contribute meaningfully. The sector has offered to provide access to product safety and sustainability data and to enhance product portfolios with sustainable solutions. It has also committed to supporting thirty countries in implementing effective chemical management systems. While thirty national systems might not sound ambitious, given the complexity and resource requirements, these commitments represent concrete progress and aim to establish best practices.
Intelligently coordinate different initiatives
The path forward lies in intelligently coordinating these initiatives – or to return to the juggling metaphor: placing the balls in the right baskets after the show so they're ready for their next use. Recognizing the complementary nature of the Global Framework on Chemicals and the Global Plastics Treaty would be an important first step toward implementing effective chemicals management, particularly regarding their use in plastics.
As experts and negotiators engage in discussions in Uruguay and later in Switzerland, I hope the prevailing attitude will be one of pragmatism and action. The ultimate measure of success isn't crafting a perfect treaty – it's implementing effective chemical management that ensures the safe use of plastics while building the foundation for a circular economy and a world free from plastic pollution.
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