Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade

The IDP was launched in November 2020 by a group of WTO members. The 50 WTO members who currently co-sponsor the informal dialogue are: Australia; Austria; Barbados; Belgium; Bulgaria; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Canada; Central African Republic; China; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Ecuador; Estonia; the European Union; Fiji; Finland; France; Gambia; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Jamaica; Kazakhstan; Latvia; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; Morocco; Netherlands; New Zealand; Norway; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russian Federation; Slovak Republic; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Thailand; the United Kingdom; and Vanuatu.

Co-coordinators of the initiative are Australia, Barbados, China, Ecuador, Fiji and Morocco. They take it in turns to chair IDP meetings.

Discussions in the IDP

Since its launch in November 2020, the IDP has focused discussions on six main topics: transparency and monitoring trade trends, promoting best practices, international cooperation, collective approaches, policy coherence, and capacity and technical assistance needs.

Noting the importance of enhanced transparency and international cooperation, proponents have sought to identify where data is missing and to learn about what other international organizations and stakeholders are doing to explore the role that trade and the WTO could play in support of international efforts. In that vein, a number of stakeholder organizations have been invited to the IDP meetings to share views. These organizations include the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Basel Convention, the World Customs Organisation, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Economic Forum and the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva.

Participants have explored how the WTO can contribute to strengthening policy coherence, examining collective approaches among WTO members and improving technical assistance provided to developing countries. They have noted the importance of having a comprehensive mapping of the plastics value chain and analysis of the opportunities and challenges it presents.

Many proponents and stakeholders have shared studies and experiences on topics such as marine litter, action to ban single-use plastic products, plastics pollution, cross-border waste management and public-private partnerships in the transition to a circular economy. They have also stressed the need to avoid duplication of efforts and to ensure mutual supportiveness and complementarity with other domestic, regional and international efforts to address plastic pollution.

Proponents have repeatedly emphasized the critical importance of strengthening technical assistance for developing countries, in particular least-developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) as these WTO members seek to reduce plastic waste and move towards a circular plastics economy.

Advocates of the initiative have also called for stronger synergies between the IDP and other environment-related forums at the WTO, including the Committee on Trade and Environment and the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD). Proponents have noted WTO members' increasing engagement in discussions on plastics in meetings of the Committee on Trade and Environment since the launch of the IDP. One proponent of the IDP (China) recently joined the TESSD while one TESSD proponent (the European Union) joined the IDP.

The IDP's work in 2021 was captured in a factual report (INF/TE/IDP/W/3) circulated on 4 October. Consolidating a wealth of information presented and discussed in the IDP, the report was welcomed by proponents and stakeholders as a useful information tool, which sets the parameters for future evidence-based discussions.

Proposed ministerial statement for MC12

Supporters of the IDP have drafted a statement (INF/TE/IDP/W/4) circulated on 15 October for the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12).

The statement spells out a roadmap for the IDP's work in support of global efforts to reduce plastics pollution and transition towards environmentally sustainable plastics trade, listing the action co-sponsors would take from MC12 towards MC13. This includes sharing experience on data collection regarding trade flows and supply chains, strengthening cooperation with other international regulatory processes and identifying environmentally sustainable trade policies and mechanisms. It also highlights action to strengthen technical assistance for vulnerable economies, including LDCs and SIDS.

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