The UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) met in Nairobi, Kenya, where world leaders agreed on a set of resolutions to create a legally binding treaty to stop the global plastic pollution crisis.
The UNEA-5 was a 3-day conference from 28 February to 2 March 2022 that saw the passing of the resolution ‘End Plastic Pollution: Towards a legally binding instrument. The resolution has been named by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as the most significant multilateral deal on the environment since the Paris Climate Accord in 2015.
The resolution will see previous commitments by international brands and the private sector being updated, increasing recycling rates and addressing overall production volumes. Under the Global Plastics Commitment, companies representing 20 percent of all plastic packaging produced globally, have committed to increasing the recyclability and recycling rates of plastics by 2025.
The resolution has also established an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee that will develop the specific content of the new plastic pollution treaty with the aim of completing its work by the end of 2024.
