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Plastic pollution is a massive problem that needs to be solved collectively at the global level. Since the production and consumption of plastic around the world increases every year, the amount of plastic waste continues to rise accordingly. Throughout the life cycle of plastics, from upstream, midstream, and downstream production, or various forms of consumption and plastic recycling all cause severe pollution.
Over the years, it has become increasingly clear that tackling plastic pollution requires international legally binding measures to ensure a unified global solution. Therefore this year will become a landmark for another new global action to protect the environment and human health, as the United Nations (UN) and many concerned parties worldwide are expecting a global plastics treaty to come into being. Between Nov 24 and Dec 1, over 170 nations will gather in Busan, South Korea, to negotiate the world's first legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution -- including in the marine environment -- more commonly known as the "Global Plastics Treaty".
The Busan meeting is the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including the marine environment. It is dubbed as a watershed moment in the global effort to tackle plastic. INC-5 is a follow up on the United Nations Environmental Assembly mandating the drafting an international instrument to address plastic pollution in 2022 Tensions have been high, given that it is also the final round of negotiations.
The 'elephant' in the room While there has been broad agreement that the anticipated treaty on global plastics should aim to improve plastic waste management and prevent its spill-out into the environment. There is a disagreement between nations over proposed provisions to limit certain upstream production. In the treaty context, upstream measures include capping and reducing plastic production.
They also include banning the production of certain products, such as single-use plastics or toxic plastic products, such as foam food boxes. Significantly, they include bans and controls on the use of toxic chemicals in plastics. Countries with large petrochemical industries have opposed upstream measures to address plastic pollution.
This resistance is unsurprising, as 99% of plastics are derived from fossil fuels, and production limits directly impact the petrochemical sector's economic interests. In contrast, small island nations, among the most affected by plastic pollution, are strongly advocating for a treaty that caps plastic production. Thailand holds a unique position in the plastic pollution spectrum.
As the largest petrochemical producer in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the 16th largest globally, Thailand is a major player in the global plastics industry, both in production and exports. Yet, the country is also heavily burdened by the consequences of plastic pollution, with waste polluting its forests, seas, and many rivers. Thailand's plastic crisis The plastic problem has become worse in Thailand.
In 2018, the Prayut Chan-o-cha government introduced a national roadmap to improve plastic waste management and ban seven harmful plastic products, including foam food containers, microbeads, thin plastic bags, and oxo-degradable plastics that break down into microplastics. The Pollution Control Department was tasked with implementing this plan. However, by 2023, only microbeads in cosmetics had been banned.
Non-essential plastics, which make up 80% of waste in Thai landfills, remain a critical issue. Despite the roadmap, plastic pollution pervades into marine ecology as well as rivers and canals countrywide. Problems have rarely been solved as the root cause -- rising plastic production -- has never been tackled properly.
If that's not enough, Thailand's annual plastic production increased from 9 million tonnes in 2018 to 9.5 million tonnes in 2021, surpassing the global growth rate of 2.5–4%.
The government and the industrial sector often ally fears by saying recycling will balance plastic production. Does it? What is worrying is that recycling is not a viable solution for Thailand, at least for current capacity. In 2021, Thailand's recycling rate for key plastic resins was just 17.
6%. Even with world-class waste management like in the European Union (EU), recycling could only achieve a 33% rate, far below the pace of production. The question is why are the country's recycling efforts lacking? The key issue is the lack of comprehensive legislation covering the entire lifecycle of plastics.
Current laws focus on waste management only and that limits the authorities' ability to ban or phase out non-essential plastics. Such a regulatory loophole has left Thailand reliant on voluntary action plans that prioritise recycling over reducing production, which continues to grow unsustainably. Research from Chulalongkorn University shows that 36% of Thailand's plastic production goes towards single-use plastics, the most common type found in landfills and on beaches.
Recognising this, many countries and stakeholders in the Global Plastics Treaty now emphasise reducing plastic production as the key to addressing the crisis. Thailand must follow suit to make meaningful progress. Plastics treaty Thailand's regulatory gaps will hinder attempts to tackle plastic pollution.
What the country and the world needs is a legally binding treaty and global framework that will help reducing plastic production, phasing out non-essential plastics, and eliminating toxic chemicals. However, the treaty's strength depends on the ambition and unity of participating nations. Amid political instability and resistance from polluter-aligned countries, Thailand has a unique opportunity to advocate for capping production and eliminating harmful plastics.
This approach offers significant advantages for Thai industries, fostering a level playing field where competitiveness is driven by producing safer, higher-value products. Many of Thailand's trading partners, including the EU, Australia, and the United Kingdom, support production reduction, as do Asean neighbours like the Philippines. Business and scientist groups have also called for sustainable plastics production.
As the Busan meeting approaches, global consensus is building. Thailand's stance will be pivotal to whether the treaty becomes a historic solution to the plastics crisis or a missed opportunity. The choice is ours to make.
Salisa Traipipitsiriwat, Senior Campaigner, Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). Penchom Saetang, Director, Ecological Alert and Recovery-Thailand (EARTH). The article marks the opening of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) that will start on Monday and end on Dec 1.
Part 2 will be published next week..
