About Us

The Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty is an international network of diverse, independent scientific and technical experts seeking to contribute with scientific knowledge to decision makers and the public involved in the negotiations towards a global agreement to end plastic pollution. Members of the Scientists' Coalition are contributing to the process in a voluntary manner with no dedicated funding.

Goal and Objectives

The Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty is a network of independent scientific and technical experts seeking to contribute to the treaty process with summaries and interpretations of scientific knowledge to decision makers and the public involved in the negotiations towards a global plastics treaty. The Coalition was formed in 2022, following the decision of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) to start the negotiations towards a treaty to end plastic pollution.

The Scientists’ Coalition has the following goal and objectives:

Goal

To achieve an effective global plastics treaty anchored in and centered around robust evidence-based decision-making and the precautionary principle, pursuant to UNEA Resolution 5/14.

Objectives

To mobilise a diverse, international, and transdisciplinary network of scientific experts to engage with and provide scientific evidence, evaluations and guidance to government delegations and the wider public throughout the treaty negotiations.

To identify and address biases, misunderstandings or misrepresentations of scientific data in order to enable an informed negotiation process.

The Scientists' Coalition engages with the treaty negotiations in three ways

Scientists from the Coalition participate in external public events such as online meetings, webinars and workshops, providing technical and scientific expertise on issues related to plastics pollution, from upstream reduction to downstream waste management and remediation.

The Coalition seeks to share expertise and knowledge with governments and delegations to the Plastics Treaty, both through physical meetings during the negotiations and online in the intersessional periods.

This element includes ad hoc drafting of short white papers or one-page opinion pieces on specific subjects as needed in order to support the negotiations and provide access to up-to-date scientific information.

Governance Documents

The Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty recognizes that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are critical to achieving our mission of an effective global plastics treaty anchored in and centered around robust evidence-based decision-making and the precautionary principle, pursuant to UNEA Resolution 5/14. We know that DEI enriches our work and contributes to our success. This document outlines how we will work.

A two-page briefing on the Scientists’ Coalition.

As a coalition of scientists and technical experts, transparency on any interests held are crucial of the Scientists’ Coalition to uphold its values and ensure the legitimacy of its membership, and to make clear the position the membership speaks from. Our conflict of interest policy are published below.

Organization

The Scientists’ Coalition is led by a Committee. The Steering Committee is responsible for the overarching strategy of the Scientists’ Coalition and approves outputs from the working groups. The Steering Committee is elected by all members on an annual basis.

Steering Committee Members (2024-25):

  • Trisia Farrelly, Massey University and Cawthron Institute, Aotearoa, New Zealand(Coordinator)
  • Bethanie Carney-Almroth, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (Co-Coordinator)
  • Richard Charles Thompson, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom (Co-Coordinator)
  • Andres H. Arias, National South University (UNS) and Argentinian Institute of Oceanography (IADO), Argentina
  • Conrad Sparks, Centre for Sustainable Oceans, Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), South Africa
  • Costas Velis, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
  • Florin-Constantin MIHAI, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania
  • Hideshige Takada, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan
  • Marie-France Dignac, French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), France
  • Martin Wagner, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
  • Natalia de Miranda Grilli, University of Tasmania, Australia/Brazil
  • Patricia Villarrubia-Gómez, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Sweden
  • Susanne Brander, Oregon State University, United States of America

A Coordinator team is elected by the Steering Committee to lead the organization of the Coalition’s work:

  • Trisia Farrelly, New Zealand (Coordinator)
  • Bethanie Carney-Almroth, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (Co-Coordinator)
  • Richard Charles Thompson, University of Plymouth, United Kingdom (Co-Coordinator)

The Expert Working Groups: The work of the Scientists’ Coalition is organised in working groups. The working groups are managed two co-chairs on core scientific topics related to the Plastics Treaty process. Membership of the working groups are open to Scientists’ Coalition members that can document relevant scientific expertise and a declaration on Conflicts of Interest.

The Secretariat supports the flow of work, ensuring disclosures of interest are kept up to date, meetings, document management and membership outreach.

Members of the Scientists’ Coalition are independent scientists actively conducting and publishing research with relevance to plastic pollution, have signed the Scientists’ Declaration on the Need for Governance of Plastics Throughout their Lifecycles, and have declared all potential conflicts of interest. No member can be personally remunerated nor directly benefit financially from the plastics industry, or associated industries or organizations. There are two categories of membership:

  • Core members: Independent scientists affiliated with or working in academic or other independent research institutions, and actively conducting and publishing research on plastic pollution.
  • Observer members: Independent, academically trained scientists affiliated with or working for a non-governmental organization working in the public interest.

Funding: The Scientists’ Coalition is a fully independent body. The Coalition members and the Steering Committee are contributing in a voluntary manner with no dedicated funding.

The Secretariat is funded by Norad (the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) grant no.: QZA-21/0283.

More information on the Scientists’ Coalition: