INF/TE/IDP/R/11  
 
9 March  2023 
(23-1796) Page: 1/9 
 Original: English  
 
DIALOGUE ON PLASTICS POLLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTALLY  
SUSTAINABLE PLASTICS TRADE   
PRE-PLENARY MEETING HELD ON 16 FE BRUARY 2023 
Aide Memoire by the Facilitator s1 
_______________  
 
 
1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY  COORDINATORS  
1. The first pre -plenary meeting  in 2023  of the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally 
Sustainable Plastics Trade  (Dialogue ) was held on 16 February . It was chaired by Australia and 
Ecuador . The agenda for the meeting was contained in the WTO document INF/TE/IDP/CN/ 11/Rev.1 , 
initially  circulated on 1 February 2023. All WTO Member s were invited to attend the meeting.  
2. The meeting included technical presentations under each of the three Dialogue's 
workstreams.2 In the opening remarks, Australia (coordinator) underscored the need to reflect on  
the next steps ahead of the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference ( MC13 ), scheduled for February 2024.  
The group's  work in 2023 would thus focus on translating the technical discussions held in the 
Dialogue into "concrete, pragmatic, and effective outcomes" to be delivered by MC13, as tasked by 
Minist ers in their Statement  (WT/MIN(21)/8/Rev.2 ). One potential area of work was to build on the 
fruitful results of the  Dialogue's  Workshop  held in December 2022 and to work on narrowing down 
and refining an evolving list of sustainable and effective plastic substitutes and alternatives already 
traded. China (coordinator) stressed the importance of enhancing the Dialogue's interlinkages with 
other international processes, particularly with the ongoing United Nations multilateral negotiations.  
China called on all Members to actively invite capital officials to participate in the discussions and 
put forward suggestions to facilitate reaching a consensus on MC13 outcomes. Due to  its clear 
targets and high level of consensus among Mem bers, the Dialogue could set a good example for 
other initiatives that aim ed to leverage trade to address environmental challenges.  Ecuador 
(coord inator)  noted that since its launch in 2020, the Dialogue had received  a wealth of technical 
information, good practices  and knowledge that c ould help implement its Ministerial  Statement  
ahead of MC13 .   
2  CROSSCUTTING ISSUES – FACILITATORS: FIJI, THE U NITED KINGDOM  AND CHINA  
3. China recalled that the crosscutting  issues workstream  cover ed topics which included:  capacity 
building and technical assistance; transparency and data; and cooperation and collaboration with 
other international organizations and processes.  As to the latter one , the Dialogue was working 
closely with over 40 stakeholders . As to tra nsparency, capacity building and technical assistance, 
the Dialogue had launched the Aid for Trade Needs Assessment survey and a survey on Trade -
 
1 This aide memoire is being shared to provide delegations with a brief overview of the discussions and 
assist them in reporting back to their capitals as well as to the Dialogue plenary meeting. It provides a non -
exhaustive, illustrative review of the issue s addressed by Members  and Stakeholders  at the meeting.  
2 According to the Dialogue's 2022 Plan (INF/TE/IDP/W/5), work was to be organized under three 
workstreams  covering: Crosscutting issues (facilitated by Fiji, the UK and China); Circularity and Reduct ion to 
Tackle Plastic Pollution (facilitated by Ecuador and Colombia); and Promoting Trade to Tackle Plastic Pollution 
(facilitated by Australia and the Philippines).  INF/TE/IDP/R/11  
 
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  related Plastics Measures (TrPMs). China further recalled the communication3 to the World Customs 
Organization (WCO)  from 2022 which included a pledge by co -sponsors to actively engage in support 
of efforts at the WCO to better identify plastics flows and the importance of contributing to the 
current Harmonized System ( HS) reform process. China encoura ged further discussion on how to 
engage with the WCO to improve transparency of trade flows during the current HS amendment 
cycle.  
2.1  Update on the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) negotiation process  
4. Under this agenda item, Ms. Jyoti Mathur -Filipp, Executive Secretary of the intergovernmental 
negotiating committee (INC) secretariat (UNEP), provided  a briefing4 on the preparations for the 
second meeting of the INC  (INC-2) which would  be held in Paris from 29 May to 02 June 2023. The 
INC Secretariat  had been requested  to prepare a document with potential options for elements 
towards an international legally binding instru ment.  To this end,  Members and stakeholders had 
been invited to  send written submissions to the INC  Secretariat on potential options for elements. 
The INC Secretariat had received over 170 submissions from stakeholders and over 56 from Member 
states  at that stage .  
5. The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) presented a preliminary analysis5 of 
trade-related elements found in such written submissions. There were  170 submissions  by 
observers , 56 by States and 4 by groups of States , namely the African Group, the European Union, 
the Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries  (GRULAC ) and the High Ambition Coalitio n 
(HAC). Of these, 44 submissions were by WTO Members, within which 21 were by co-sponsors of 
the Dialogue . There were several references to trade with a focus on plastic production . The WTO 
and trade were also specifically mentioned in some of the  submissions.  A large majority of the 
submissions underscored the importance of addressing the full life cycle of plastics in their proposed 
objective and scope of the treaty, with a strong focus on upstream measures. Other objectives that 
were highlighted included, inter al ia: plastic production reduction; trade; taxes; extended producer 
responsibility; transparency of plastic chemical additives; research promotion; technology transfer; 
capacity building; technical assistance; waste hierarchy; and specific needs and circumst ances of 
developing countries.  As to the substantive treaty provisions, the submissions centered on four key 
elements: (i) bans, phase -outs, prohibitions, restrictions, reductions, or moratoriums; (ii) trade 
specific mentions; (iii) plastics -related subsid ies; and (iv) substitutes and alternatives to plastics.  
6. CIEL reported that a large number of States were moving towards bans, prohibitions, 
restrictions, reductions, or moratoriums in their proposals addressing control measures and core 
obligations, with many of the measures focused on the upstream and others including midstream 
and downstream prohibitions. Where submissions specifically mention ed trade and the WTO, a few 
had put forth the possibility of establishing a list of prohibited or permitted items but ha d taken 
differing approaches on the criteria and as to whether a positive or negative list should be adopted. 
Proposals that addressed non -party trade measures and the need for the treaty to be aligned with 
WTO obligations were als o posited. On plastics -related subsidies, CIEL reported that there were 
references  to the remov al of subsidies that supported the expansion of plastic production while 
adding subsidies for some types of technologies such as recycling. On substitutes and al ternatives 
to plastics, CIEL underscored that there was generally no distinction between the terms 
"alternatives" and "substitutes" where the former was often used to cover both terms . Many 
submissions also mentioned the  need to work on research to identif y reliable alternatives and 
establish permitting criteria for the availability of alternatives . Other elements further observed in 
the submission s included, inter alia : waste hierarchy; transparency of information on product 
composition and waste managemen t; technology transfer; labelling; eco -design and standards; 
polluter pays principle; circularity; extended producer responsibility; precautionary principle; and 
common but differentiated responsibilities.   
2.2  Aid for Trade (AfT) Global Review 2022 and the Af T Needs Assessment Survey  
7. The WTO Secretariat updated6 participants on the A fT Needs Assessment survey which had 
four sections respectively addressed to  (i) all participants ; (ii) r ecipient partners ; (iii) D onor Members 
 
3 See document INF/TE/IDP/W/6/Rev.1 .  
4 See document INF/TE/IDP/RD/104.  
5 See document INF/TE/IDP/RD/105 . 
6 See document INF/TE/IDP/RD/106 . INF/TE/IDP/R/11  
 
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  and South Partners ; and (iv) r egional and international donor institutions and organi zations working 
on plastics . The survey sought to enhance transparency on the needs and the programmes already 
in place to support developing countries and improve coherence and cooperation between dif ferent 
actors.  The Secretariat informed that the survey had received nine submissions in total  so far. While 
this number was still not high enough to  properly  analyze the results of the survey , the Secretariat 
sought to give an idea of th e type of information  and insights it could provide  once finalized . For 
instance, with regards to  what relevant information specific to plastic pollution  could be gathered  
through  future AfT questionnaire s the initial  respo nses suggested : (i) an overview  of AfT  
projects/programs related to plastic pollution ; (ii) an overview of other relevant ODA programmes 
working on plastics pollution ; (iii) s pecific information about the objective and the challenges of 
implementing AfT programmes relating to plastics pollutio n and whether trade/trade measures  were 
covered by it ; (iv) c ase studies on practices enabling business environment for recycling 
infrastructure and alternatives to plastic products ; (v) development of a common view on required  
data set s by linking relevan t environmental to trade data.  Some a nswers also suggested an action 
point for the WTO  Secretariat to work closely with the Organisation for Economic Co -operation and 
Development ( OECD) to compile and analy ze these programmes to identify possible links to trade 
and relevance to the work of the Dialogue .  
8. With regards to  priority areas to address trade -related aspects of plastic pollution , survey 
participants had that far identified "improv ing the environmentally sound management, recovery 
and recycling of plastics"  and the "move towards more circular economies of plastics " as the highest 
priority areas f ollowed by "design and implement ation of  trade policies to address plastic pollution ". 
Finally, with regards to  what trade-related assistance was already provided to address plastic 
pollution , there were several examples shared that far  which included projects involving : 
(i) strengthening countries' capacity to implement the Basel Convention ; (ii) capacity building to 
support customs authorities to deal with illicit cross -border shipments of plastic waste ; (iii) p roject 
building  on the power of trade to improve private sector practices in the plastic packaging value 
chain ; (iv) e nhancing waste management through improved data collection, information sharing, 
education and awareness, policy and regulatory cooperation, private sector engagement and 
infrastructure development ; (v) p romoting a circular economy for plastics to reduce plastic wa ste 
leakage into the sea ; and (vi) analytical or policy -related activities focused on plastic circularity, 
plastic value chain, Extended Producer Responsibility  (EPR) policy solutions and the role of trade 
policy in addressing plastic pollution . The AfT survey was still ongoing,  and coordinators encouraged 
active participation in it.   
2.3  Briefing by the Organisation for Economic Co -operation and Development (OECD) on 
the role of development assistance in tackling plastic pollution in developing countries  
9. The OECD briefed7 participants on the  main findings in their new report titled "The role of 
development  cooperation  in tackling plastic poll ution: Key trends, instruments, and opportunities to 
scale up action ". The report a ssesse d the scale of the plastics pollution problem in developing 
countries by  providing evidence on developing countries’ plastic use, waste, and leakage volumes , 
assessing the specificity of plastics -related impacts in developing countries , and assessing the cost 
to prevent plas tic pollution.  The report  outlined development co operation  support in this area by 
quantifying development finance flows to curb plastic pollution and identifying main initiatives in the 
space.  It also presented innovative development co operation  approache s that could be further scaled 
up. The report found that finance  flows to curb plastics pollution ha d been on an increasing trend in 
recent years , with consistent growth since 2015 . However , it still represent ed a fraction of total 
development finance ( representing less than 1%). The report found that d evelopment finance to 
curb plastic pollution could be more aligned with where the main sources of leakage were. For 
instance,  there was u nder-targeting of certain emerging economies where the level of leakage  was 
higher , and over -targeting of European ODA -eligible countries , where the level of leakage was lower.  
10. The report also identified eight main innovative ways to address plastic pollution in 
development cooperation and distinguished between policy and financing approaches. Examples of 
policy approaches included supporting the adoption of plastics -related policy instruments; fostering 
the creation and adoption of plastics -related innovation; and adopting gender -sensitive approaches 
in waste management projects. Examples of financing approaches included aligning development 
finance flows with circularity principles; adopting blended finance approaches for tackling plastic 
pollution; scaling up green and blue bonds  for plastics; exploring results -based financing for waste 
 
7 See document INF/TE/IDP/RD/107 . INF/TE/IDP/R/11  
 
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  management; and developing financing instruments that leverage synergies across sectors. The 
report further recommended enhanced action in four areas: resources; targeting; innovation; and 
coordina tion. On resources, there was a need to scale up total resources available to curb plastic 
pollution in developing countries, which could be achieved by exploring new financing instruments 
and facilitating access to private financing. On targeting, enhancing global targeting of resources 
and their alignment to country needs and priorities would allow for better targeting of resources 
based on evidence -based analysis. On innovation, there was a need to increasingly adopt 
international good practices and foster innovation, such as by making inclusivity a core principle in 
all waste management projects and promoting innovation through technology transfer and 
development. On coordination, mutual learning through knowledge exchange at both country and 
international level and more guidance for effective development co operation  were required .  
2.4  Interventions by delegations and stakeholders  
11. Several delegations under scored  that engagement with the  global plastics agreement  process  
was critical and that the trade community c ould bring important contributions to the INC's work. Mr. 
Aik Hoe Lim, Director of WTO's Trade and Environment Division also took the floor and not ed that 
UNEP and WTO had a long history of cooperation and that supporting discussions in the INC process 
was another important area for this collaboration. One delegation noted the key areas the INC 
process could look at  included  those related to recyclin g, waste collection and management, 
cooperation on technologies development and their distribution, transparency, as well awareness 
raising. Measures to address plastic pollution had to be based on their economic and environmental 
efficiency and had to ens ure that they were not creating unnecessary trade barriers, nor distorting 
competition and were considering countries' national circumstances. Another  delegation noted that 
it was importan t to address  the issue of informality throughout the plastic value chains, recognize 
the role informal recyclers,  and cooperate with key actors to inform strategies addressing plastic 
pollution . Several delegations encouraged WTO Members to take part in the AfT survey and 
welcomed discussions on plastics -related development assistance  with the aim of pooling expertise 
and sharing best practices.  
3  REDUCTION TO TACKLE PLASTIC POLLUTION AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR PLASTICS 
– FACILITATORS: COLOMBIA AND ECUADOR  
12. Colombia informed participants about the plan ning of a Dialogue  workshop on reduction  
planned for the end of April, 2023 . She invited M embers to put forward ideas or potential areas of 
interest to be discussed in this workshop or potential experts that could participate.  
3.1  Survey of Tr ade-related Plas tics Measures (TrPMs)  
13. The WTO Secretariat provided an update8 on the ongoing survey on TrPMs. The survey 
currently contained over 280 TrPMs notified by 64 WTO Members from all regions, mostly developing 
and least developed countries (LDCs).  The Secretariat highlighted five broad topics most TrPMs  dealt 
with that far, namely : single -use plastic products ; packaging ; waste management ; recycling ; and 
eco-design. The survey already included  89 TrPMs on single -use plastics which mainly targeted 
packaging materials and finished goods. With regards to  the latter , TrPMs mostly targeted:  plastic 
bags; tableware; food containers; cups; plastic straws; and cotton buds. Apart single -use plastics  
and packaging , most  TrPMs targeting finished goods included, inter alia : construction and agriculture 
materials; e -products; care products; tyres; fishing nets; tobacco; and general "plastic products". 
There were 109 TrPMs on recycling  that far , 18 of which included "support and financial 
programmes" , representing a lmost the totality of this type of measures captured in the survey for 
all plastic -related objectives (23) . Other broad types of recycling TrPMs included : ban/restrictions 
on import  and export of recyclable waste to promote (domestic) recycling; standards,  guidelines, 
requirements on "recyclability" of waste imports, including hazardousness and quality requirements; 
standards, guidelines, requirements on using recycled content/resins in goods, including testing 
methods; grading and labelling/marking system of recyclability; segregation, collection and recovery 
targets requirements, deposit schemes; registry of recycling operators, including imports and 
exports; and food -grade/sanitary requirements.  
14. Finally, t here were 104 TrPMs on eco -design  that far , 18 of which indicated challenges/needs 
(in total, 53 TrPMs indicated challenges/needs).  The Secretariat noted that, although still based on 
 
8 See document  INF/TE/IDP/RD/10 8. INF/TE/IDP/R/11  
 
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  a small sample, the relativ ely higher  importance of "technical assistance on policy development" and 
"cooperation from exporting countries" among the needs and challenges associated with eco -design 
TrPMs could be an early indication that the topic could benefit from enhanced cooperation in the 
policy development phase. The broad  types of  eco-design TrPMs included : requirements applicable 
to minimum thickness, (re)usability; minimum recycled content; exclusion of certain components 
such as specific polymers, microbeads, etc; and (voluntary) guidelines for design of plastic -
containing products, such as requi rements restricting excessive packaging or to introduce an 
"environmental variable" in product packaging design. The survey was still ongoing,  and WTO 
Members were encouraged to participate.  
3.2  Technical presentations by stakeholders  
15. The United Nations Offic e on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) p resent ed9 its work on combatting 
Waste Traffickin g, in particular plastics.  The current UNODC initiatives included , inter alia , (i) 
Unwaste: Tackling waste trafficking to support circular economy; ii) Plastic and hazardous wa ste 
trafficking in the containerized supply chain; (iii) Legislative guide to combat waste trafficking and 
(c) Policy and awareness raising. More precisely, the Unwaste project sought to f ight trafficking in 
waste between the EU and Southeast Asia by promo ting enhanced UN -EU-ASEAN Member States 
partnerships in support of ongoing efforts towards a circular economy transition . The project aimed 
to improve understanding of the illegal flows , promote national dialogues  as well as  inter-regional 
partnerships and  cooperation . The project  also was conducting a study to map legal and illegal waste 
flows between the EU and Southeast Asia and modus operandi of illegal networks .  
16. This was followed by the World Customs Organization (WCO) who presented10 the Asia -Pacific 
Plastic Wate Border  Management project which aimed to strengthen the capacity of Customs 
administrations to mitigate and respond to environmental threats on matters related to plastic waste 
and illegal shipments thereof. The project sough t to achieve the following objectives: (i) increase 
awareness of the Basel Convention and the role of Customs in controlling plastic waste and tackling 
illegal trade; (ii) promote  a responsive Risk Management approach; (iii) improve recording of waste 
shipments and seizures; (iv) enhance relationship with Environmental Authorities, especially through 
the Single Window Environment ; and (v) enhance procedures to process  legal consignments of 
waste . On an institutional level, the project found that there was  a need to, inter alia: raise 
awareness;  assess the risks of plastic waste trade; have a more regional approach; and  evaluate 
current customs response to plastic waste. On a legal level, the project found th at there was a  lack 
of alignment of Basel Plastic W aste amendment and Customs legislation s. It also found that there 
was a need for clarity on national standards and definitions of (hazardous) waste was as well as a 
need to increase Customs understanding on licencing system.  
17. Next, the Minderoo Foundation p resented11 the Plastic Waste Makers Index  (PWMI) mapping 
the Single -Use Plastics (SUP) value chain.  The PWMI focused on the source of the single -use plastic 
crisis and tracked five benchmarks looking at : who produced the virgin polymers bound for single -
use plastics and how much ended up as single -use plastics waste; who was active in recycling single -
use plastic waste; the near -term outlook for production of polymers bound for single -use plastic; 
the gre enhouse  emissions associated with single -use plastics and the leaders and laggers in the 
move to circularity.  At the centre of the index was a global material flow model which took a lifecycle 
approach to estimating the single -use plastic waste content in municipal solid waste  streams. It 
maintained visibility over the materials as they flowed from source to waste  and enabled to measure 
attribution. It looked at, inter alia : (i) polymer  production (who produced polymers that formed 
single -use plastic, where  and how much?); (ii) polymer trade (what were the trading patterns 
between polymer producers and countries?); (iii) polymer conversion (how were polymers converted 
onto single -use plastic product categories?);  (iv) single -use plastic trade in bulk (how we re the 
relevant categories of bulk packaging traded?); (v) single -use plastic trade in finished goods (what 
volume of single -use plastic in finished goods was traded and what were the trade patter ns?); and 
(vi) single -use plastics in municipal solid waste (what was the volume and was its sour ce?).  
18. The report  had found there was more single -use plastic waste than ever before. In 2019, there 
were over 130 million tons of s ingle-use plastics  made  from fossil fuels  and just under two million 
tons from recycled  waste. In 2021,  an additional 6 million tons of  single-use plastics from fossil  fuels 
 
9 See document  INF/TE/IDP/RD/114 . 
10 See document  INF/TE/IDP/RD/109 . 
11 See document INF/TE/IDP/RD/110 . INF/TE/IDP/R/11  
 
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  were produced  and only just a couple hundred thousand  additional tons from recycled waste.  In that 
sense , there was still 15 times more single -use plastics from fossil fuels than from recycled waste 
which meant that m ost single-use plastics were still being discarded , dumped in the landfills and 
ending in the oceans. The report also found that p lastic waste was not only a pollution  crisis but al so 
a climate one. The report measured the associated lifecycle greenhouse gas  emissions  from single -
use plastics from creation to disposal which across the industry was around 4 50 million tons of CO2. 
Two thirds were from the upstream part of the supply ch ains (e.g. fossil fuels, feedstock  extraction; 
monomer production;  polymerization  and polymer trade) . Importantly , there was an opportunity for 
the industry to use more recycled  waste  which would then replace the upstream part and remove 
significant part of CO2 equivalent . The report found that o nly regulation c ould solve recycling's failure 
to scale  and that w ithout policy support for recycling there were no strong commitments. The 
presentation identified three big interventions required to tackle the issues related to single -use 
plastics : limiting fossil fuel production and consumption; increasing the circularity of plastic products 
and materials; and investing in environmentally soun d waste management.   
19. This was followed by a briefing by t he WHO  about its work across different programmatic 
areas that contributed to addressing plastics pollution. WHO underscored that r esearch and 
innovation on alternative materials and sustainable proc urement and waste management practices 
in the healthcare sector were crucial in this context.  WHO recommended that initiatives to address 
plastics pollution, including the legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, had to recognize that : 
(i) protecti ng human health was an essential element of any sustainable approach to addressing 
plastic pollution; (ii) there was a  need to consider health in all policies, to maximize benefits and 
minimize risks to human health, and to prioritize co -benefits to health and the environment; 
(iii) there was a  need for approaches to addressing plastic pollution to be modified as scienti fic 
knowledge of risks  - including the health risks associated with plastics, their production, use and 
disposal  – continues to develop. WHO looked forward to continuing  to engage with the Dialogue.  
3.3  Interventions by delegations and stakeholders  
20. Delegation s welcomed presentations from stakeholders and the WTO Secretariat. One 
delegation suggested discussions  in the upcoming session of the INC should explore  measures aimed 
at bringing down production, consumption, and use of plastics, as well as promoting en vironmentally 
sound management of plastic waste. Discussions could  also explore measures, including phase -outs, 
in cases of substances and/or plastics of concern, as well as problematic plastic products, and some 
types of single -use plastics. The legally b inding instrument had to contain  trade-related measures, 
including trade with non -parties to the agreement. Such measures could include restrictions on the 
import of plastic products that did not meet the future instrument’s requirements and standards.  
Another delegation noted the usefulness of the  exchange of best  trade practices to tackle plastic 
pollution and build a circular economy for plastics. It suggested that a well -structured compilation 
of the policies applied in this area could help future work,  including the UNEA negotiations. The 
commonalities identified through this exercise could also be reflected in the MC13 outcome. The Pew 
Charitable Trusts (Pew)  noted that r educing  single -use plastics would often require not just material 
substitutes but entirely new business models . There was a need for policy incentives to encourage 
the adoption of alternative materials, but also delivery models, and end -of-life technologies. Pew 
was open to work ing with the Dialogue to find policies that encourage d uptake of these other models . 
4  PROMOTING TRADE TO TACKLE PLASTIC POLLUTION – FACILITATORS: THE 
PHILIPPINES AND AUSTRALIA  
4.1  Technical presentations by stakeholder  
21. The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventio ns Secretariat briefed12 delegations on 
the outcomes of the 3rd meeting of the Plastic Waste Partnership (P WP) working group and  on 
technologies/ infrastructure required for environmentally sound management (ESM) of plastic 
wastes. The Technical Guidelines on the ESM  of Plastic Waste  would support the Plastic Waste 
Amendments and were being further developed by a small intersessional working group  (SIWG), 
currently chaired by China, Japan and the United Kingdom.  The work on the Technical Guidelines 
was still  ongoing but they could be adopted at the next BRS Conference of the Parties (COP) , 
scheduled for May 2023 . The Technical Guidelines  looked at the scope of ESM, the type of plastics  
covere d as well as legislative and regulatory framework  which referred to areas such as end - of -
 
12 See document  INF/TE /IDP/RD/119 . INF/TE/IDP/R/11  
 
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  waste  status , EPR, transboundary movement requirements , specifications for containers and storage 
sites, requirements for plastic waste treatment and disposal facilities and  other legislative controls . 
The Guidelines also  looked at waste prevention  and mini mization  and included various possible 
instrument s in this area, such as regulatory instruments , market -based  instruments, as well as 
information -based and voluntary  instrument s. For instance, regulatory instruments incl uded design  
requirements, ban on certain single -use plastic products, and ban on oxo -degradable plastics . As to 
market -based  instruments, those include d taxes on products , deposit -return schemes , landfill  tax, 
tax on virgin plastic et c. The Guidelines also contained a section on inventory and identification as 
this was critical  for customs authorities  to identify  various types of plastic waste to know whether 
they were subject to the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) pr ocedure  or not.  
22. The Guidelines also looked at the environmentally sound disposal  of plastic waste and broke  
down plastic waste  recycling  into mechanical, physical,  and chemical. The chemical recycling was 
one of the most difficult parts of discussions as there were divergent vie ws on whether chemical  
recycling could be considered as ESM. As to the technologies  for ESM considered by the Guidelines, 
an important criterion  was not only whether  these technologies allowed for the ESM of plastic waste,  
but also if they were commerciall y viable.  Turning to the  PWP, the BRS Secretariat recalled that its 
objective was to improve and promote ESM of plastic waste at the global, regional, and national 
levels and prevent and minimize its generation . The PWP had a wide membership with around 
126 entities  and was divided into  four project groups  working  on, inter alia , prevention and 
minimization; collection, recycling and other recovery, incl. financing; transboundary movements; 
and outreach, education, and awareness raising.  The PWP co nducted different activities related to 
collection of informatio n of best practices, lessons learned and relevant policy instruments  in these 
areas .  
23. This was followed by the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) who presented13 the report 
"Package -less and Reuse Sy stems  Through Policy Intervention: rethinking packaging in international 
trade".   
24. The key messages from the report firs t looked at recycling , reuse and reduction of plastics . 
The report  found that approaches  that focused on diversion from landfill had also meant focusing 
primarily on recycling, which in turn enabled a thriving and ever -expanding environment for 
disposable products.  Developing countries were no strangers to reusing models, and uptake of such 
systems c ould be accelerated with policies incentivizing  their adoption while mandating a reduction 
of plastic production and use.  Reuse strategies needed to  have the potential to create jobs at  the 
local level. Therefore, the informal waste sector had to be involved in the process of developing an 
efficient and well -managed packaging reuse systems, ensuring a fair and inclusive transition.  Reuse 
strategies should  decrease public administration spending on waste management.  Additionally, the  
standardization  of reusing packaging in B2B (i.e., pallets, crates, dunnage, drums, intermediate bulk 
containers, and big bags) allow ed for automatization  and cost reduction.  Products that were being 
traded internationally should  be designed to be reused a nd to use fewer raw materials in their life 
cycle. In this sense, eco -design and lifecycle assessment ( LCA) were tools that could assess raw 
materials use and evaluate product environmental impacts.  Other  key messages from the report 
looked at circular eco nomy versus recycling economy . It found that p ackage -less and reuse systems 
had to be designed with the local context in mind. They should  guarantee affordability and 
accessibility for low -income communities.  Package -less and reuse strategies had to be sca lable. 
Thus, reuse models must consider consumer behaviour and address their needs.  The absence of 
definitional precision, in combination with specific weaknesses in the formulation of targets, le d to a 
problem in which companies talk ed about a circular economy while implementing a recycling 
economy, and ha d begun prioritizing  recyclable packaging over package -less or reusable products, 
especially in the food sector.   
25. QUNO also proposed specific action points for WTO Members. First, it s uggested that trough  
the Dialogue , they could (i) establish targets and objectives aimed at promoting reuse/refill systems 
as alternatives to current plastic production and consumption patterns ; (ii) c oordinate closely with 
UNEP -INC counterparts to support  the refinement of the re use terminology and find pathways to 
regulate its labelling within the INC process ; (iii) i n coordination with the INC membership and the 
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), push for the establishment and use of s tandard 
measuring tools (e.g. Lifecycle Analysis – ISO 14040:2006 ) recogni zed globally ; and (iv) work with 
stakeholders to establish better criteria to differentiate plastic products, and their intended utilization 
 
13 See document INF/TE/IDP/RD/111.  INF/TE/IDP/R/11  
 
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  purposes along the lifecycle to enhance categorization, and hopefully advance proposals for the 
inclusion of more granular characterization of plastics in the next HS amendment cycle of the WCO.  
26. Next, The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) briefed14 
participants on their work on plastic substitutes and alternatives.  This update followed  the outcomes 
of the Dialogue's December 2022  workshop  on plastic substitutes and alternatives. Since the 
workshop, UNCTAD had  revised the list of HS code s applicable to  plastic substitutes . UNCTAD had 
presented back in December 2022 an initial of 242 HS codes and after  the workshop , the list covered  
282 HS codes . The workshop had allowed for the identification  of 40 more products. UNCTAD analysis 
had found that the  total trade value of plastics substitutes was 388 billion USD which was equal to 
1/4 of the total  global trade o f plastics.  UNCTAD then presented, based on an HS codes analysis, a 
snapshot of applied tariff rates specifically on finished plastics and plastics s ubstitutes which revealed 
that not only substitutes were more expensive, but also faced higher tariffs. UNCTAD further  
suggested  some concrete outcomes for  MC13, which included : (i) agreeing on an "open, illustrative 
and evolving " list of plastic substitutes; (ii) pledge to review downwards applied tariffs to plastics 
substitutes to level the playing field vis -a-vis fossil fuel -based plastics (voluntary scheme for 
autonomous liberalization on MFN basis); (iii) expand ing notificatio n efforts on non -tariff measures 
applicable to plastic substitutes; (iv) notifying any public support to the fossil fuel -based polymer 
sector (up, mid and downstream); (v) pledge not to increase existing subsidy levels to the fossil 
fuel-based polymer sect or (stand still clause) . UNCTAD suggested to jointly report with  the WTO 
Secretariat on progress under the Dialogue  and subsequent Ministerial decisions to the INC process 
to enable policy coherence . 
4.2  Interventions by delegations and stakeholders  
27. One delega tion noted that international trade and global value chains c ould be a powerful 
driver to tackle global plastic pollution by , inter alia : accelerating the deployment of new technologies 
to tackle plastic pollution and developing new materials ; scaling up t rade flows and investment in 
goods and services associated with re usable  plastic goods, plastic second ary raw materials, and new 
materials for plastic substitution ; setting up multilateral regulations that facilitate the "safe trade " 
of secondary  plastic materials, substitutes and wastes, while at the same time preventing illegal 
trade of hazardous materials or non -reusable  or non -recyclable  plastic waste ; tracking int ernational 
trade figures of plastics such as second -hand goods, plastic waste, and plastic secondary  raw 
material to contribute to more transparency on international trade figures ; and e nabling the 
conditions and technologies for developing countries and L DCs to participate and benefit from trade 
of plastic substitutes and their products.  It added  that the environmental initiatives at the WTO such 
as the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) , the Dialogue  on 
Plastic Pollution  and the Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform  (FFSR) , were the engines supporting the 
advance ment of the environmental agenda  at the WTO.  Pew noted that it especially appreciated how 
QUNO’s report looked at how trade measures, including non -tariff measures could sup port package -
less and reuse systems. These were  essential levers to solving the plastic pollution problem and 
hoped discussions could look at  how best to implement these solutions in the months ahead.  
5  ANY OTHER BUSINESS OR INTERVENTIONS BY DELEGATIONS AND STAKEHOLDERS  
28. The Forum on Trade, Environment and SDGs (TESS) presented15 its paper titled " The WTO 
Dialogue on Plastics Pollution: Overview and State of Play " which offered an introduction for 
government officials and stakehol ders on the origins, purpose, and work of the Dialogue . TESS also 
shared a vision for a potential MC13 statement which included broad priorities for cooperation  and 
built on the  MC12 Statement. The proposed MC13 statement would  not be legally binding , would 
guide future work and be accompanied by annexes, including a compilation of voluntary pledges by 
Members. As to possible next steps this year, TESS suggested that the Dialogue could, inter alia , 
(i) identify shared MC13 priorities, focusing on topics of convergence and high potential impact; 
(ii) identify information needs related to shared priorities; (iii) compile annexes, drawing also from 
submissions in plastics treaty process; (iv) identify a matrix of potential trade -related actions for 
each shared priority to guide potential pledges; and (v) structure 2023 workplan to support MC13 
outcomes. In the meantime, the Dialogue could advance proposals on HS amendments at WCO; 
 
14 See document  INF/TE/IDP/RD/112 . 
15 See document  INF/TE/IDP/RD/116 . INF/TE/IDP/R/11  
 
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  complete responses and analysis of Dialogue  surveys on TrPMs and AfT nee ds, continue to expand 
its membership, inform CTE, and deepen linkages with the plastics treaty process.  
29. This was followed by a briefing by the World Bank16 on its work on regional plastic waste trade, 
and upcoming work on glob al plastics waste trade.  The transboundary nature of marine plastic debris 
through shared water bodies and markets for plastics and waste trade posed challenges to efforts 
to combat plastic waste trade, prompting a need for regional and global action. On marine plastics, 
the Bank con ducted engagements at the country and sub -regional levels across the East Asia and 
Pacific (EAP) and within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in the three main areas 
of analytics, policy support and investments. Action towards promoting m easures to manage plastic 
waste trade included, inter alia : the adoption of adequate legislation and provisions; definition of 
ESM criteria for plastic waste treatment; implementation of importing procedures and trade 
measures among others. A regional stud y was produced in a move towards a regional framework in 
efforts to tackle plastic waste trade and combat plastic pollution in ASEAN countries, and further 
plans were in the pipeline to enhance coordination with other initiatives such as the WCO, UNODC, 
WTO and Basel Convention, and to generate greater linkages to subsequent work on global plastics 
waste trade.  
5.1  Interventions by delegations and stakeholders.  
30. Delegations welcomed the presentations by stakeholders. As to possible next steps, UNCTAD 
further su ggested that the Dialogue could discuss  criteria for "good" and "bad" produc ts. This work 
would allow building a list of "the bad" products which could include for instance "toxic and harmful 
products that could not be recycled".  The International Chamber of Commerce  (ICC) took the floor 
to express its support for the INC's work to secure an ambitious agreement by 2024. ICC encouraged 
governments to consult the findings of the ICC study - "The Circular Economy and International 
Trade:  Options for the World Trade Organization" on how smartly designed trade policies and rules 
could support a transition to a circular and resource -efficient economy. One delegation informed that  
it was exploring the linkages between plastic pollution, biodi versity loss and climate change and that 
it would be sharing  its work on this soon.  Another delegation noted the importance of synergies 
between the trade community and the INC process.  
6  CONCLUDING REMARKS AND NEXT STEPS  
31. Australia announced the next meetin gs for 2023 were scheduled for the following dates: 
13 March (plenary); 27 April (WTO -UNEP Workshop); 25 May (plenary); 21 -22 September (pre -
plenary); 16 -17 November (pre -plenary); 11 December (plenary). The upcoming plenary in March 
would focus on suggest ions for "concrete, pragmatic, and effective outcomes" to be delivered by 
MC13.  
 
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16 See document INF/TE/IDP/RD/118 .