INF/TE/IDP/RD/41  
 
20 May 2022 
(22-3914) Page: 1/5 
 Original: English  
 
UNOFFICIAL ROOM DOCUMENT1 
INFORMAL DIALOGUE ON PLASTIC S POLLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTALLY  
SUSTAINABLE PLASTIC S TRADE  
PRE-PLENARY MEETING HELD ON 11 MAY  2022 
Aide Memoire by the Facilitator s2 
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1. The second pre -plenary meeting of the Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and 
Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP) planned for 2022 was held on 11 May 2022. The 
meeting was co -chaired by chaired by Ecuador, the United Kingdom, the Philippin es and Colombia. 
The agenda for the meeting was contained in WTO document INF/TE/IDP/CN/5/Rev.1 , circulated on 
09 May. All WTO Members were invite d to attend the meeting.  
2. The meeting was divided into six segments covering each of IDP's workstreams: 
(i) introductory remarks; (ii) crosscutting issues; (iii) promoting trade to tackle plastic s pollution 
(iv) reduction to tackle plastic s pollution and circular economy for plastics; (v) open discussion and 
interventions by stakeholders; and (vi) concluding remarks. Delegations also further engaged on 
"guiding questions" under each workstream first shared at the last plenary meeting of the group on 
30 March.  
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY COORDINATORS  
3. Ecuador welcomed participants and recalled the main takeaways from previous IDP meetings 
which included, inter alia , a call for cooperation with the UNEA 5.2 process on negotiating an 
internationally binding instrument  on plastic s pollution, addressing  access to relevant technologies,  
technical assistance and capacity building needs of vulnerable countries and finding solutions for 
circular economy and environmentally sustainable and effective plastic s substitutes and alternatives. 
She noted several delegat ions had indicated that the work of the informal dialogue could lead to a 
normative  framework and guide other actions and processes such as for the implementation of the 
Basel Convention and the World Customs Organization ( WCO) HS Codes Review process.  
4. China3 highlighted the importance of IDP pre -plenary meetings for advancing technical work, 
as well as for delegations to start indicating their perspectives on the topics covered in the Ministerial 
Statement. China noted that coordinators and facilitators h ad met with the WTO Secretariat and 
stakeholders a few times to brainstorm on the next steps for the IDP to move its technical work 
forward. The focus of the pre -plenary meeting would thus be on discussing such steps  as well as the 
guiding questions previously shared .  
 
1 Documents issued in the RD series are not official WTO documents. They usually appear in their 
language of submission and will not be translated systematically into the working languages of the WTO. They 
are intended for use in WTO meeting rooms and are at tributed an unofficial symbol for archiving purposes only . 
2 This summary, prepared and circulated under the Facilitators ' responsibility, is being shared with a 
view to providing delegations with a record of the discussions and assisting them in reporting  back to their 
capitals. It provides a non -exhaustive, illustrative review of the issues addressed by Members at the meeting.  
3 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/37 . INF/TE/IDP/RD/41  
 
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CROSSCUTTING ISSUES4: AID FOR TRADE  PLASTICS SURVEY AND PARTICIPATION IN 
UNEA  
5. The United Kingdom informed that IDP coordinators and facilitators were reflecting on how to 
include plastics consideration s in the next Aid for Trade (AfT) review cycle. They were preparing an 
"AfT review and needs assessment survey" that would be shared shortly with all delegations and 
which would aim to provide substantive inputs for future engagement in the AfT process. A side 
event at the upcoming AfT Global Review in July was also planned. The UK further highlighted that 
linking IDP to the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) negotiating process on a new global instrument 
to address plastics pollution was a priority for the IDP . She called for co -sponsors' engagement in 
the meeting of the ad hoc open -ended working group (OEWG) – which w ould prepare the modalities 
of negotiations – taking place in Dakar (30 May – 1 June).  
6. China made a presentation5 on suggested elements of a draft communication to the WCO . The 
draft communication ( INF/TE/IDP/W/6 ) was based on the IDP Ministerial Statement 
(WT/MIN(21)/8/Rev.2 ) and included a call for the WTO Secretariat to enhance its cooperation  with 
the WCO Secretariat , notably on plastics customs classification and implementation challenges . It 
also included a pledge by co -sponsors to actively engage in support of efforts at the WCO to better 
identify plastics flows. This could include , inter alia , the organization of joint symposi um or 
workshops with WCO and other r elevant stakeholders; identification  of relevant value chain actors 
and Trade -related Plastic s Measures (TrPMs); identification of goods and services for customs 
officials to effectively identify plastic s; and identification of customs implementation facil itation 
measures. China noted that the  cooperation between WCO and WTO could also contribute to the 
negotiation s of the Intergovernmental  Negotiating Committee (INC) in the UNEA  process . 
2.1  Discussions and reactions by delegations and stakeholders  
7. Overall, d elegations welcomed the AfT survey, the draft communication to the WCO and IDP's 
active participation in the UNEA  process . Some delegations informed that they needed more time to 
consult with their capitals before commenting on them. One delegation undersc ored the need to 
include topics such as technical assistance and capacity building, particularly for least developed 
countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as well as to learn about AfT donor's 
initiatives related to plastics.  
8. As to coo peration with WCO, discussions underscored that the revision of WCO HS 2027 was 
currently ongoing and IDP needed to contribute to it. One delegation noted that the refinement of 
the Harmonized System Code in differentiating plastic s products for environmental purposes was 
one of the key elements in reducing plastic s pollution and thus WCO’s expert advice was essential 
to IDP discussions. Another delegation noted that customs classifications on recycling were unclear 
and this was also  an issue that needed to be addressed.    
9. The importance for IDP to engage in processes under UNEA, the Basel, Rotterdam and 
Stockholm (BRS)  Conventions, the Conference of the Parties (CoP) 15 of the Convention of Biological 
Diversity and the UN Oceans Co nference was also underscored. It was suggested that the IDP could 
contribute to the INC negotiations by supporting documentation on trade flows and by gathering 
knowledge on risks linked to trade (e.g. leakage points, shipments of concern). Furthermore, I DP 
could share its expertise on labels, HS classification and how trade policy could enable a circular 
transition in the field of plastics. Moreover, it  was suggested that the IDP could invite the WTO 
Secretariat to help gather trade data on plastic s waste  not covered by the Basel Convention. Some 
delegations added that IDP had to facilitate the implementation of the relevant decisions of the BRS 
Conventions, notably  those  of the Basel Convention, concerning the shipment of certain types of 
plastic s waste s.  
10. More generally on transparency, one delegation supported plastic s recycling standards, 
typology, or taxonomy for plastics to define what kind of plastics were not recyclable. It mentioned 
the lack of data on plastics and trade flows and it expressed its interest in discussing what WTO's 
value -added in this would be. It also noted that there could be greater transparency and synergies 
 
4 According to the IDP Plan 2022 (INF/TE/IDP/W/5), topics include capacity building and technical 
assistance; fostering international cooperation on transparency and data; cooperation and collaboration with 
other international organizations and processes, and collective approaches.  
5 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/38 . INF/TE/IDP/RD/41  
 
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  between IDP and the informal group on subsidies under TESSD which discussed fossil fuel subsidies. 
Another delegation said that a large amount of plastic s was used for packaging and thus, the plastic s 
packaging sector could be explored for future work.  
11. Several participating stakeholders also took the floor and welcomed IDP's cooperation with 
other processes and work on transp arency. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 
urged Members to register and participate in the upcoming OEWG taking place in Dakar from 30  May 
to 1 June 2022 to prepare for the INC to end plastic s pollution. She informed participants that the  
meeting include d one specific dialogue on finance and trade issues. The United Nations Conference 
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) informed about ongoing processes under the United Nations 
such as the 4th Oceans Forum on trade -related aspects of Sustainable Development Goal 14. The 
Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs (TESS) underscored the importance of terminology and 
expressed its willingness to contribute to the preparation of a glossary with relevant terms. The 
International Institute for Sustainable  Development (IISD) highlighted IDP's role in encouraging the 
increased transparency of plastic -related policy measures. The Center for International 
Environmental Law (CIEL)6 said that a new treaty on plastics would need to include global market 
restrict ions and product -related economic instruments which would cover mandatory registration 
and trade restrictions such as, inter alia , controls and prohibitions of polymers with toxic additives; 
bans or restrictions on the use of intentionally added microplast ics; and measures gradually phasing -
out virgin plastic s production, consumption and use.  
PROMOTING TRADE TO TACKLE PLASTIC S POLLUTION7: TECHNICAL WORK ON 
PLASTIC S SUBSTITUTES  
12. Representatives of two international institutions were invited to contribute under this segment. 
UNCTAD8 briefed delegations about their work on plastic s substitutes, HS codes, life cycle analysis 
(LCA) and tariff considerations. The presentation first made a distinction between plastic s substitutes 
and plastic s alterna tives and noted that some plastic s alternatives had similar waste disposal 
problems to conventional plastic s depending on their chemical composition. UNCTAD then presented, 
based on an HS codes analys is, a snapshot of applied tariff rates specifically on f inished plastics and 
plastic s substitutes which revealed that not only substitutes were more expensive , but also faced 
higher tariffs. UNCTAD further suggested the organization of an exploratory workshop on plastic s 
substitutes in the second quarter of 202 2 to move discussions forward on a range of issues including, 
inter alia , working definitions, minimum criteria for LCA, illustrative list of material substitutes, 
material identification exercise, HS code identification exercise, and trade -related measure s enabling 
single-use plastics products (SUPP) substitution by sustainable materials.  
13. UNEP presented9 its technical work on "Single -Use Plastic s Products and their alternatives: 
Recommendations from Life Cycle A nalysis ". UNEP had produced several reports examining the 
whole life cycle of plastic s products and comparing it to their alternatives. Some of the key messages 
from this work included: (i) the single -use nature of products was most problematic for the planet, 
more so than the material that they were made of; (ii) cleverly designed products needed to be 
durable, and the lighter a product's weight, the lower its environmental impact; (iii) countries were 
encouraged to promote actions that allowed  keeping resources at their highest value, by re placing 
single -use plastic s products with reusable products; (iv) taking a life cycle approach was key in 
informing the right decision to address plastic s pollution. UNEP also presented some insights looking 
at several products, including, inter alia , plas tic bags, bottles, beverage cups and nappies. The 
analysis revealed that reusable options were generally preferable over single -use products of any 
material. To understand the environmental performance of products, it was critical to look at their 
life cyc le and use stage. There was a need to reduce unnecessary or unsafe plastics and materials 
as well as to shift from single -use to reusable products. Finally, biodegradable or biobased products 
did not necessarily have "better" environmental impacts than conventional products.  
 
6 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/39 . 
7 According t o the IDP Plan 2022 ( INF/TE/IDP/W/5 ), topics include environmentally sustainable waste 
management technologies; environmentally sustainable and effective substitutes and alternatives; reused and 
recycled plastics, including by incentivizing increased reuse  and recycling of plastics (considering evidence of 
their long -term impacts); and technologies for environmentally sustainable and effective substitutes and 
alternatives of interest to developing members and least developed members including SIDS which are  especially 
vulnerable to marine litter and plastic s pollution, and opportunities for their MSMEs.  
8 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/36 . 
9 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/40 . INF/TE/IDP/RD/41  
 
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  3.1  Discussions and reactions by delegations and stakeholders  
14. A number of Members took the floor and welcomed the new insights and data from the 
presentations as well as UCTAD's proposal to organi ze an exploratory workshop. WTO Secretaria t 
suggested that this workshop could be done jointly potentially during the WTO Trade and 
Environment week. UNEP offered to contribute. One delegation noted  the need for more coherence 
between trade and environmental policies and suggested  that this could be a focus of the workshop. 
Another delegation added  that it would be useful for the workshop to examine countries' policies 
and practices on these issues considering their different energy mix for natural resources.  
15. Discussions also underscored the need for assistance for developing countries to produce 
environmentally sustainable and effective substitutes or alternatives to plastics. One delegation 
mentioned the need to work on standardisation processes with relevant  standardisation 
organi zations such as  the ISO, IEC, ITU, OECD and others, depending on the area. Another 
delegation noted that IDP could create synergies on the liberalization of environmental goods and 
services with TESSD which discussed this topic.  Regarding waste management, discussions  noted 
that adherence to the waste hierarchy, ensuring waste prevention, and introducing relevant 
measures, such as extended producer responsibility, were key. Discussions underscored that 
developing countries  would also need help in developing infrastructure s, for example, for waste 
collection.  
16. Several delegations informed about their national efforts to combat plastic s pollution. The 
OECD suggested that the potential alignment of standards could be a point for consideration in the 
IDP. IISD also highlighted the importance of the work directed towards the best practices on the use 
of international standards and labelling as such measures could have a strong impact on the markets 
and consumer choices, including in the TBT Committee.  TESS said that i t would be interesting for 
IDP to look at issues as tariff and not tariff measures, standards and financing. On the issue of 
technology transfer, TESS suggested that IDP could explore linking its work with the WTO's Working 
Group on the Transfer of Technol ogy.  
REDUCTION TO TACKLE PLASTIC S POLLUTION AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR 
PLASTICS10: SURVEY OF TRPMS  
17. Colombia informed that coordinators and facilitators, with the support of the  WTO Secretariat, 
had put together a survey to identify Member’s TrPMs . The survey intended to improve the collective 
knowledge and outline d nine questions, regarding: (i) title and description of the policy or measure ; 
(ii) the type of measures covered (providi ng some guiding options) ; (iii) the m ain objective of the 
policy ; (iv) s tage of the life cycle or value chain that the policy was intended for ; (v) p roducts and 
services covered ; (vi) r elevant HS /ICS codes ; (vii) d ate of entry into force ; and (viii) c hallenges 
identified in the implementation phase. The survey was voluntary and would help to improve the 
collective understanding, map policies, and identify gaps and potential opportunities.   
4.1  Discussions and reactions by delegations and stakeholders  
18. A number of Members and stakeholders welcomed the work on a survey on TrPMs. Some 
delegations asked for timelines about its completion. One delegation noted that  trade policy needed 
to accompany the circular economy transition of the plastic s sector by facil itating the adoption of 
measures on single -use plastic s products and microplastics intentionally added to products, and 
related technical standards.  Furthermore, it said that the circular economy had to also be promoted 
through trade agreements.  Another de legation noted that  since some plastics could not  be recycled, 
they had to be phased out  and IDP discussions had to put an emphasis on the reduction of plastics.  
NEXT STEPS  
19. Facilitators of the workstreams wou ld report the discussions to the second IDP pl enary 
meeting which will take place on 24 May 2022. The draft communication to the WCO, the A fT needs 
assessment survey and the survey on TrPMs would be shared with delegations prior to this meeting.  
 
10 According to the IDP Plan 2022 ( INF/TE/IDP/W/5 ), topics include how trade -related cooperation could 
help to support efforts to reduce unnecessary or harmful plastics and plastic s products, including single -use 
plastics and plastic packaging associated with international trade; and sharing experiences of effective 
approaches to move towards more circular resource -efficient and environmentally sustainable plastics trade.  INF/TE/IDP/RD/41  
 
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  The objective would be to agree on these concrete next s teps and announce them in the context of 
MC12. Two more plenary meetings are tentatively scheduled for the following dates: 6 October and 
7 December 2022.  Pre-plenary meetings will be organized, in general, about two weeks before each 
plenary.  
 
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