Trade and trade policy in the fight against plastic pollution: What are the challenges and opportunities?

This event brings together new evidence and policy analysis on how trade and trade policy can help reduce plastic pollution, exploring whether they can help, threaten or impede progress.

In 2019, over 180 governments agreed to the 'Plastics Amendments' to the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes, bringing in new requirements and procedures to better regulate trade in plastic waste. However, significantly more remains to be done if the international community is going to tackle plastic pollution – including through stronger coherence of trade, development and environmental policies.

United Nations and WTO members are welcomed to join a diversity of stakeholders for this session and to participate in discussions.

Key Questions:

1. What is the state of play in plastic trade flows and trade-related actions to reduce plastic pollution?
2. How can trade and trade policy challenge efforts to reduce plastic pollution?
3. How can international cooperation on trade, environment and development — in multilateral environmental agreements, in trade agreements, at the WTO and elsewhere - support efforts to reduce plastic pollution?
4. What are the opportunities to harness trade policy to tackle plastic pollution and encourage a more circular plastics economy?