Materials and Publications

Policy Brief: Transitioning to a safe and sustainable circular economy for plastics
  • 2023
  • The Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty working group on circular economy
||

This policy brief provides inputs on the transition to a circular economy which minimizes resource consumption and plastic pollution by moving away from the current linear economic model. It argues that the transition to a sustainable circular economy should focus on reducing production and consumption, and only secondly increase recycling rates thereby giving sufficient attention to chemicals in plastics. The policy brief concludes with three principles for a safe circular economy for plastics.

  1. Support the minimisation, safety and sustainability of plastic production
  2. Ensure safety and sustainability of plastic products across their lifecycle
  3. Design rights-based, safe, and sustainable systems

The document is an output of the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty (SCEPT working group on circular economy) and aims at policymakers involved in the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee (INC). A French and Spanish version of the brief are available.

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7974916

Download PDFs:

Latest Posts

1
Towards an Effective Science-Policy Interface for the Global Plastics Treaty

Access to reliable scientific information is essential for the success of the UN Global Plastic Treaty. It is needed via working groups to support negotiations now, and in the longer term via a dedicated subsidiary body to the Treaty. This policy brief sets out the rationale, provides a timeline for implementation, and suggests how the[…]
2
Primary Plastic Polymers: Urgently needed upstream reduction

The UN international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution (UNEA resolution 5/14) aims to reduce plastics pollution. However, midstream and downstream assessments show that optimizing waste management, removal technologies, and improved circularity is not sufficient to curb plastics pollution in the short-, mid- or long-term. Therefore, we have to look upstream to the root of[…]
3
Scientists’ Coalition support for a U.S. global plastics treaty position guided by independent scientific consensus

[Click here to download PDF]
4
Fact Sheet: Plastics and the Triple Planetary Crisis

This fact sheet provides an overview over the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution we are facing.
5
Response to the Revised Zero Draft

Scientists’ Coalition’s response to the revised draft text of the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (UNEP/PP/INC.4/3). Download the full response (English) Download the Summary of the Revised Zero Draft (English) Download the Summary of the Revised Zero Draft (French) The Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastic Treaty expresses[…]