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UNCTAD’s (UN Trade and Development) Global Trade Update on Mobilising trade to curb Plastic Pollution | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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UNCTAD’s (UN Trade and Development) Global Trade Update on Mobilising trade to curb Plastic Pollution

Posted 02 Aug 2025

2 min read

The update comes as the talks on the UN Plastic Treaty are currently underway in Geneva. 

Key Highlights

  • Rising Global Plastic production and Trade: Mainly for single use, grew from 2 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 1950 to 436 MMT in 2022.
    • Of this, only 10% is recycled and nearly 75% becomes waste.
  • Rising Plastic Trade: Over 78% plastic produced was traded internationally (2022). 
  • Absence of International Agreements: Like for biodiversity (Convention on Biological Diversity) and climate change (Paris Agreement). 
  • Untapped Potential: Bio based and Compostable Plastics though available in many countries constitute only 1.5% of the global plastic production.
  • Policy Issues: While tariffs on plastic and rubber products reduced from 34% to 7.2% over past 30 years, the same for alternatives like bamboo, paper, etc., remains around 14.4%. 

Way Forward

  • Sector Based Reforms: Example tackling single use plastics through targeted bans like taxes and plastics with long life span  (E.g.., road construction) through better R&D, and product design.
  • Strengthen Plastic Data Systems: To improve transparency and comparability across its life cycle. 
  • Synergies with related Frameworks: Like Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions. 

Measures to curb Plastic Pollution

  • India: Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016 and its key amendments 
    • PWM Amendment Rules, 2021: Prohibits Single Use Plastic (SUP) (Effective from July 2022). 
    • PWM Amendment Rules, 2022: Extended Producer Responsibility for plastic packaging.
    • PWM Amendment Rules, 2024: Outlines responsibilities of Urban local body and Panchayat. 
  • Global Initiatives: Annex V of MARPOL Convention; Bridgetown Covenant, etc. 
  • Tags :
  • Plastic Pollution
  • UN Plastic Treaty
  • PWM Rules
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