Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues | Plastics in the Life Cycle/SCP

About the Dialogues

The world is facing a plastic crisis, the status quo is not an option. Plastic pollution is a serious issue of global concern which requires an urgent and international response involving all relevant actors at different levels. Many initiatives, projects and governance responses and options have been developed to tackle this major environmental problem, but we are still unable to cope with the amount of plastic we generate. In addition, there is a lack of coordination which can better lead to a more effective and efficient response.

Various actors in Geneva are engaged in rethinking the way we manufacture, use, trade and manage plastics. The Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues aim to create synergies among these actors, highlighting efforts made by intergovernmental organizations, governments, businesses, the scientific community, civil society and individuals in the hope of informing and fostering stronger cooperation and coordinated actions. The dialogues will also look at what the different stakeholders have achieved at all levels, present the latest research and governance options.

In addition, although the dialogues target stakeholders from all continents, they aim to encourage increased engagement of the Geneva community in the run-up to various global environmental negotiations, such as:

• UNEA-5 (1st and 2nd sessions) in February 2021 and February 2022
• BRS COPs in July 2021
• SAICM ICCM5 in 2022

This first session of dialogues will end in February 2021 to build momentum towards the first session of UNEA-5. It will aim to facilitate further engagement and discussions among stakeholders and actors in International Geneva and across the regions and support coordinated approaches that can lead to more efficient global decision making. It will also intend to provide a platform to further carry the discussion from the recently concluded Ad Hoc Open-Ended Expert Group (AHEG) on Marine Litter and Microplastics towards UNEA-5 part 2 in 2022.

The Plastics in the Life Cycle/SCP session is the seventh dialogue to be organized leading to and making recommendations towards the High-Level Dialogue on Plastic Governance Dialogue.

The dialogues are organized in collaboration with the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Secretariat, the Center for International Environmental Law, the Global Governance Centre at the Graduate Institute, Norway, and Switzerland.

Plastics in the Life Cylce / SCP Session

Through the previous sessions, the Geneva Beat Plastic Dialogues have highlighted some of the impacts (on climate, human health, human rights and the environment) along the life cycle of plastics as well as the need to consider trade, intellectual properties and human rights perspectives to address the plastic crisis.

Many of the early responses developed focused on addressing the end of life stage of plastic. However, in line with the latest UNEA resolutions (e.g. UNEP/EA.4/Res.9) and the conclusions of the Ad Hoc Expert Group, more and more initiatives are broadening the scope of their intervention to the full life cycle of plastic.

The complexity of the plastic crisis and its interlinkage with other environmental crises we are facing (climate, biodiversity loss and pollution) demand that we consider impacts and opportunities at each stage of the full lifecycle to design comprehensive solutions that will effectively limit all impacts of plastic, rather than merely displacing them.

During this session, experts will map the current life-cycle approaches in place to quantify and address the plastic crisis, detail international policies and initiatives developed to foster a plastics circular economy, and explore the role and contributions of all stakeholders, along the supply chain, to design and implement comprehensive responses to the plastic crisis.