Panama and Ecuador as members of the Coalition invite to a Webinar on Plastics Treaty options for elements titled Circularity of Plastics, human health and environment with participation from Scientists, Civil society, Business and others.

The event will take place on 18 April at 9:00 – 10:30 (EST) | 16:00 – 17:30 (CEST). The event will be conducted in Spanish with English translation.

Registration: HERE

Background

Plastic pollution constitutes a planetary crisis with impacts on ecosystems, biodiversity, the climate and human health. Moreover, the environmental movement of the pollution, and trade in products, make it impossible for nations to address the problem of adverse human health and environment impacts by acting alone – global action and agreed global norms are required.

The current plastic life cycle is long, complex, and far from circular; thus, we rapidly need to understand how to use plastics more responsibly. There are now scientific evidence establishing adverse health impacts, especially for women, and youth, including infants in the womb and young children that are at particularly high risk of plastic-related health effects. Workers are also impacted from occupational health risk, as well as residents of frontline communities, exposed to multiple toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing of plastics. The thousands of chemicals in plastics—monomers, additives, processing agents, and non-intentionally added substances—include amongst their number known human carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxicants, and persistent organic pollutants[1].

The High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution is committed to developing an ambitious international legally binding instrument with global obligations and control measures that will result in increasing the circularity of plastics in the economy, guided by the waste hierarchy, including by developing criteria and standards for plastics, setting global baselines and targets for sustainability throughout the life-cycle of plastics,  and ensuring transparency in the value chain of plastics, including for material and chemical composition throughout the life-cycle of plastics. The treaty should ensure criteria for the design of plastics, including to extend product lifespan, ensure durability, recyclability, and safety, in order to enable a circular economy for plastics that protects the environment and human health.

This event provides opportunities for Member States, Civil Society, the Scientific Community and Business to discuss possible options for core obligations and control measures in the plastics treaty that will result in increasing circularity and protect human health and the environment, considering which solutions will be most effective in which contexts.

Moderator:

• María Alejandra Gonzáles, Regional Coordinator Plastic Pollution, WWF

Opening remarks:

• Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador
• Amelie González Assereto, General Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Panama

Speakers

The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health (presentation available HERE):

• Sarah Dunlop, Head of Plastics and Human Health, Minderoo Foundation
• Margaret Spring, Chief Conservation and Science Officer, Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Adetoun Mustapha, Adjunct Research Fellow/Adjunct Associate Professor of Environmental Epidemiology, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research
• Maureen Cropper, Professor, Economics Department, University of Maryland

• Ana Maria Villegas. CEO & Co-Founder, XICLO
• Alberto Quesada, Policy Advocacy Advisor Marine Plastic Pollution, Fundación MarViva
• Ana Paula Souza, Human Rights Officer, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Recording of event

[1] Landrigan, P. J., Raps, H., Cropper, M., Bald, C., Brunner, M., Canonizado, E. M., … Dunlop, S. (2023). The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health. Annals of Global Health, 89(1), 23. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4056