Anke Boykin We believe a UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution has the potential to spur significant progress towards a circular economy for plastic packaging . A treaty that establishes clear global rules , aligned definitions and metrics and agreement on measures to improve packaging design , collection and recycling is good for both governments and business .

As a business operating globally , harmonised policy across nations will create a level playing field and provide greater regulatory clarity and certainty so we can invest in and scale solutions we know can be applied in different parts of the world .

We believe the treaty will be most successful if it prioritises collaboration across sectors and the business community is given the opportunity to share our expertise , particularly around improved waste management systems such as well-designed Extended Producer Responsibility ( EPR ) based on industry aligned principles .

Stephen Jamieson A UN Plastics Treaty will create a better environment for business by lowering barriers to trade , reducing operational costs , simplifying reporting and boosting economies of scale . In many cases , businesses have already put supporting practices into play to comply with regulations at state , regional and federal levels – and these differing regulations can be complicated and expensive to manage . Having a consistent global policy unifies the playing field and drives the type of efficiencies outlined above .

Further , developing metrics , standards and targets within the treaty creates a clear , shared mission for governments and businesses . The availability of data to feed into these targets will be critical , coming from corporate data models that aggregate information on materiality and data providers that determine plastic leakage on a granular scale .

This two pronged-approach of setting reporting standards and then feeding in appropriate data using open-data models would foster market confidence in circular systems , allowing businesses to scale sustainable practices and foster innovation in product design and circular systems .

Haley Lowry US $ 32bn is already invested by the private sector every year to help develop a circular economy . A supportive , clear and consistent global policy framework would stimulate additional funding . To make a real difference , any agreement must create and nurture an environment that promotes innovation and investments at scale , including circularity drivers like sustainable design standards ,

70 January 2025