IPEN Hosts Technical Briefing for Plastics Treaty Delegates

This weekend, IPEN is hosting an event at the Plastics Treaty meetings in Dakar, Senegal on “Health, Chemicals, Plastics and a Non-Toxic Circular Economy.” The technical briefing is co-sponsored by the governments of Senegal, Switzerland and Uruguay with the support of the Geneva Environment Network and the Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues.

The event will take place on Sunday, May 29 at 20:20 Dakar time (find your local time here). You can register to attend or view the event on the Geneva Environment Network website.

Background

In March 2022, the 5thUnited Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) called for initiating negotiations toward a binding agreement to end plastic pollution by 2024. The Plastics Treaty resolution calls for an agreement to promote sustainable production and consumption through product design and circular economy approaches.

But chemicals in plastics make them inherently incompatible with the circular economy and pose significant threats to human health. Hazardous chemicals are used and exported in plastics typically with limited controls or traceability.

The technical briefing will inform delegates on key issues for the treaty negotiations, related to how ubiquitous chemicals in plastics, particularly endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), can impact human health, and the circular economy challenges regarding hazardous chemicals.

Delegates from Africa, Europe and Latin America will share their perspectives on a non-toxic circular economy, and opportunities for a plastics treaty to address the health hazards of plastics and of their hazardous chemical ingredients throughout their life-cycle.