   
  
INF/TE/IDP/R/9  
 
9 December 2022 
(22-9200) Page: 1/10 
 Original: English  
 
 
DIALOGUE ON PLASTIC S POLLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTALLY  
SUSTAINABLE PLASTIC S TRADE  
PRE-PLENARY MEETING HELD ON 17 NO VEMBER  2022 
Aide Memoire by the Facilitator s1 
_______________  
 
 
1. The fourth and final 2022 pre-plenary  meeting of the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and 
Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade ( Dialogue ) was held on 17 Novembe r. The meeting was 
chaired by  Australia and Ecuador . The agenda for the meeting was contained in the WTO document  
INF/TE/IDP/CN/9/Rev.1  circulated on 16 November 2022.  All WTO Members were invited to attend 
the meeting.  
2. The hybrid  meeting was divided into three technical segments  focusing on specific topics 
covered by discussions under each of the three workstreams . These topics were:  Single Use Plastics 
(SUP) and produ cts; plastic packaging; and plastic waste management and trade . The meeting 
covered discussions on each topic through technical work and presentations by stakeholders and the 
WTO Secretariat.  Discussions were also facilitated with technical guiding  questio ns shared  in advance 
of the meeting .  
1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY  COORDINATORS  
3. Australia welcomed  participants  and noted that the deep engagement of  the WTO in the 27th 
Conference of the Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 
(UNFFCCC)  had highlight ed the importance of trade in contributing to global environmental issues, 
including plastics. Australia  provided a brief overview of the  structure of the meeting , recalling  that 
while pre-plenaries had so far been structured following the  specific workstreams , the last pre -
plenary meeting for 2022 would focus on a few topics  under which the issues  covered by each 
workstream would be  discus sed. This format sought to develop a deeper understanding of the 
selected topics . Australia encouraged delegations to actively engage in the discussions.  
4. Ecuador noted that that during  the UNFCCC's  COP27 in Egypt trade -related  issues had been 
featured through several side -events such  as those organized by various agencies including WTO, 
the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations 
Environment Programme (UNEP ). Ecuador thank ed the Seychelles and the Commonwealth 
Secretariat  and noted that it had joined their call made at COP27 for  a comprehensive response to 
plastics  and to address  the link on climate change and plastics pollution . Ecuador underscored that 
the pre -plenary' technical  sessions would help prepare for the fourth and final plenary scheduled for 
7 December 2022.  
 
1 This aide memoire is being shared to provide delegations with a brief overview of the discussions and 
assist t hem in reporting back to their capitals  as well as to the Dialogue plenary meeting . It provides a non -
exhaustive, illustrative review of the issues addressed by Members  and Stakeholders  at the meeting.  INF/TE/IDP/R/9  
 
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  2  FOCUSED DISCUSSIONS ON SINGLE USE PLASTICS (SUP) AND PRODUCTS2 
2.1  Overview of trade policies targeting single use plastics (SUP) and products found in  
the Dialogue's  Survey of TrPMs – WTO Secretariat . 
5. The WTO Secretariat provided an update on the Dialogue's survey s3 on Trade -related Plastics 
Measures (TrPMs)  and Aid for Trade (Af T) which had been launched in June 2022 and whose deadline 
for submissions was set for the 18th of November. The Af T survey had received only seven  replies  
so far and there was a need for more  submissions to analyse the results. As to the TrPMs survey, 
the WTO Secretariat provided a preliminary analysis  of early results . The TrPMs survey  currently  
contained 267 TrPMs notified by 64 WTO Members from all regions, mostly developing and least 
developed countries (LDCs). Most of the TrPMs were from Asia, followed by Africa  and Europe. There 
were three  types of  measures covered by the TrPMs : (i) sustainability requirement s; (ii) support and 
financial programmes and (iii) pricing and market mechanisms . Sustainability requirement  
accounted for the vast majority of the measures  captured by the survey at that point, potentially 
due, at least in part, to the nature of WTO's transparency obligations.  With the increasing number 
of survey replies, more pricing and market mechanisms were due to be captured. Most of the TrPMs 
were targeting the downstream stage in the value chain life cycle of plastics  such as finished goods 
and manufacturing . The survey also s ought  to assess  what were  the needs  participating delegations 
from both developing and developed countries indicated were required  to implement  these TrPMs  
and found that a ccess to technology  was identified as a key challenge, followed by d omestic p rivate 
sector engagement . This was new information that was only  derived from the survey . The analysis  
also revealed that 38 of the TrPMs had in place mechanisms to assess  the efficacity of the measure .  
6. The Secretariat then provided an overview of the TrPMs  targeting  SUP4 which covered 83 
TrPMs of 36 Members from all regions and development status. Most of these TrPMs targeted the 
downstream stage of the value chains. The Secretariat shared an example o f a TrPM by Morocco 
looking a t the upstream of the value chain  (plastic inputs)  and which was applied to support  a 
restriction on the production and use of SUP plastic bags. Finally, the products that were targeted 
most often by the TrPMs on SUP included p lastic bags (43 TrPMs ), followed  by tableware (26 TrPMs), 
food containers (22 TrPMs), cups (17 TrPMs) , plastic straws (17 TrPMs ) and cotton  buds (10 TrPMs) . 
The Secretariat recalled  that even among  those 43 TrPMs targeting plastic bags  specifically , the wa y 
the measures classif ied SUP bags varied widely which illustrate d the importance of engaging on 
these topics.5  
2.2  Technical presentations by stakeholders.  
7. The International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) presented6 their work and spoke 
about  their Initiative on "The  Bamboo  as a Substitute for Plastic " and their experience in enhancing 
product identification under the Harmonized System (HS) . INBAR underscored the many advantages 
of bamboo which  was the fastest -growin g plant in the world  and which  had high productivity . 
Bamboo was a low -carbon, bio degradable  and sustainable substitute for plasti c and  its products 
could help reduce greenhouse emissions. Bamboo substitutes for plastics cover ed different products  
from kit chen items and bamboo handle to bamboo pulp packing material , electronic  product shell , 
mattresses , and interior decoration . Historically, there ha d been a lack of specific HS codes to 
bamboo and rattan. This ha d led to bamboo and rattan products being mis classified or mixed with 
 
2 According to the Dialogue Plan 2022 (INF/TE/IDP/W/5), work intersessionally  is to be advanced 
through three workstreams, namely on: Crosscutting issues; Promoting Trade to Tackle Plastic Pollution; and 
Circularity  and Reduction to Tackle Plastic Pollution. To facilitate active and holistic engagement towards 
further concrete, pragmatic and effective outcomes at the latest by MC13, this last pre -plenary meeting for 
2022 is focusing on a few themes under which the to pics covered by each workstream are being discussed.  
3 Namely:  
Trade -related Plastic Measures ( TrPMs ) Survey : 
IDP Survey on TrPMs (Es) - Formstack  – Spanish . 
IDP Survey on TrPMs (Fr) - Formstack  – French . 
IDP Survey on TrPMs - Formstack  – English . 
Aid for Trade Global Review and Needs Assessment  Survey: 
IDP AfT global review and needs assessment survey (Es) - Formstack  – Spanish . 
IDP AfT global review and needs assessment survey (Fr) - Formstack  – French . 
IDP AfT global review and needs assessment survey - Formstack  – English .  
4 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/70 . 
5 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/64 .  
6 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/73 . INF/TE/IDP/R/9  
 
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  timber products and other materials. The cooperation between INBAR, the Food and Agriculture 
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and China’s General Administration of Customs had led to 
the approval by the World Customs Organization  (WCO)  in 2007 and 2017  of a series of individual 
HS codes for bamboo and rattan commodities. Currently, there were 24 HS codes —18 for bamboo 
and six for rattan —reflecting a much broader range of commonly traded bamboo and rattan 
commod ities. The INBAR's Bamboo as a Substitute for Plastic Initiative had been announced on the 
7th of November 2022 at the 2nd Global Bamboo and Rattan Congress. INBAR underscored that 
bamboo had outstanding advantages and potential in reducing plastic polluti on, replacing plastic 
products and providing a na ture-based solution for energy -intensive  and difficult -to-degrade pla stic 
products. INBAR highlighted  that international cooperation was required to formulate  favourable  
policies, promote technological innov ation, encourage  scientific research, promote market expansion 
and enhance publicity. INBAR proposed several avenues for cooperation that could help the use of 
bamboo as a substitute for plastic products. These included  informing the Intergovernmental 
Negotiating Committee (INC) process; updating the  bamboo and rattan HS codes at the WCO ; 
elaborating more ISO standards on bamboo and rattan ; and putting in place  favourable  trade policies 
on ba mboo as a nature -based substitute for plastic will be also needed.   
8. The Global Plastics Policy Centre of the University of Portsmouth presented7 their work on the 
Global Plastics Policy Review . The Global Plastics Policy Centre undertook  independent evidence -
based policy analysis to increase the effectiveness and accountability of plastics policy . It had 
developed an analytical framework of 48 reference statements  where e ach policy was assessed using 
publicly available information and sev eral key criteria, which looked at the policy's effectiveness in 
meeting its objectives . Several issues  were raised regarding  the paucity of evidence to assess  plastic 
policy effectiveness such as the lack of monitoring and evaluation of plastic policies , weak disclosure, 
and transparency requirements as well as the absence  of defined targets against which to measure 
progress. Common enablers  for policy effectiveness included , inter alia : leadership and commit ment; 
public buy -in, trust, and acceptance ; and c oordinated action that respect ed the context in which a 
policy was being placed. Plastics value chain lifecycle was extremely  complex, often international,  
but isolated and fragmented policies sometimes at n ational and subnational scales lacked  the reach 
to be effective to tackle problems that were international in scope and source rather than national 
and subnational. There was a need for a  package of policies that expand ed across the value chains 
and that address ed multiple points of the lifecycle and were coordinated and integrated. As to the 
guiding questions, it was not only SUP that was the challenge but u nnecessary and problematic 
plastics. This include d all plastics, additives, dyes, and chemicals that were not needed, that were 
unsafe to people or the environment, and which c ould not  be easily collected, sorted, or recycled. 
This also include d recyclable plastics that in practice were uneconomic or too difficult to re cycle due 
to their size or how they were combined or multi -layered with other plastics. He highlighted  the need 
for harmonized definition s and noted that t here was little evidence of policy effectiveness related to 
SUP products  trade, bans, or alternatives . He noted that  the criteria for sustainable substitutes w ould 
vary spatially, depending on resource availability  and c ase-by-case product -level life cycle 
assessment could  be necessary . There were some tools in this area that already existed such as the 
World Business Council for Sustainable Development SPHERE8 packaging sustainability assessment 
framework ; the World Bank’s Plastic Substitution Trade -off Estimator9 and UNEP’s 10 Objectives and 
Guiding Considerations for Green and Sustainable Chemistry . He concluded by underscoring the 
need to consider re -use as well as substitution.  The substitution was often  a favourite  approach,  but 
re-use ha d a lower climate impact across the entire lifecycle and ke pt material circulating in the 
economy for  longer.  
9. The Pew Charitable Trusts presented10 lessons from the Breaking the Plastic Wave study 
applicable to SUP and products. The Breaking the Plastic Wave report estimated plastic pollution and 
looked at solutions to reduce it. It found that implementing single solutions on their own, like 
recycling or disposal, was not enoug h. What was needed was a suite of solutions combined leading 
to a system change which  could reduce  plastic pollution  by 82%. The report looked at four types of 
interventions which included : reduction (e.g. reducing growth in plastic production and 
consumption); substitution (e.g. substituting some plastics with alterna tives such as paper and 
compostable materials); recycling (e.g. increasing mechanical recycling and designing products and 
packaging for recycling ); and dispos al (e.g. expanding waste collection and reducing plastic waste 
 
7 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/6 8. 
8 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/55 . 
9 See INF/TE /IDP/RD/56 . 
10 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/76 . INF/TE/IDP/R/9  
 
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  exports to high leakage regions) . The report defined SUP as products and packaging made wholly 
or partly from plastic that was not conceived, designed, or placed on the market to accomplish —
within its life span —multiple trips or rotations by being returned to a producer for refill or reuse d for 
the same purpose for which it was originally conceived.  It was socially and economically feasible  to 
achieve reduction before considering substitutes for single -use materials.  
10. Many plastics reduction interventions currently implemented focused on th e eliminat ion lever, 
largely by eliminating packaging, regulating bags, straws or other small mass items. The analysis 
suggest ed that huge reductions c ould be achieved by focusing on six plastic applications that were 
projected to account for 86 percent of  the total reduction achievable in 2040 . These applications 
included multilayer/multimaterial flexibles, business -to-business packaging, films, bottles, carrier 
bags, and food service disposables. However, current national and subnational product bans and 
regulations focus ed overwhelmingly on carrier bags and food service items, two applications that 
together m ade up just 10 percent of the entire plastic waste stream and 16 percent of the potential 
plastic reduction  in the study's analysis . The other four applications, therefore, represent ed a huge, 
untapped opportunity, with sachets and multilayer/multimaterial flexibles (such as for shampoo and 
condiment portions, chips and sweets packets) offering the highest redu ction potential at 26 million 
metric tons per year.  In the S ystem Change Scenario,  paper and compostable materials c ould 
substitute 17 percent of plastic waste generated by 2040 equivalent to about a 71millon metric ton s 
without fundamentally decreasing th e performance, affordability, and social and environmental 
acceptability of packaging as single -use items.   
11. The study identified s ix plastic subcategories with the largest substitute potential by mass , 
including, inter alia, monomaterial films, monomateria l packaging, sachets and multilayer films, 
carrier bags, pots, tubs and trays; and food services disposables . The food services disposables 
could be substituted with widely available alternatives, such as  bamboo cutlery, paper/coated paper 
clamshells and c ups, and banana leaf wraps. While substitutes  create d opportunities , they also had 
trade-offs that needed to be carefully managed and assessed in a case -by-case basis. Possible 
criteria to consider for substitutes included identifying problematic  plastic . This could  be done by 
using  several criteria  such as, inter  alia, the likelihood of being littered or ending up in the 
environment; if the product was not reusable, recyclable or compostable, if the product  could be 
avoided.  Other elements for consideration included the presence of waste infrastructure to collect 
and process substitutes; the issue of lowering overall GHG emissions in production and end -of-life 
disposal phases; and health concerns  considerations . Finally, when changing the plastic system – 
many single -use plastic products would be eliminated or replaced by reusable items and new delivery 
models. Non -recyclable  and hard  to recycle plastics could be substituted for paper or compostable 
materials. The remaining pl astic waste was being recycled at much higher rates, resulting in much 
less plastic polluting the environment.  
2.3  Interventions by delegations and stakeholders.  
12. Ecuador recalled the guiding technical questions for the session which were:  
i. What are the key cri teria to be considered when identifying SUP and products targeted by 
TrPMs? Are there examples of particularly problematic SUP and products that would fit these 
criteria?  
ii. What are the key criteria to be considered when identifying environmentally sustainab le and 
effective substitutes and alternatives to SUP and products targeted by TrPMs? Are there 
examples of particularly desirable substitutes and alternatives to SUP and products that 
would fit these criteria?  
 
13. Delegations welcomed the technical presentati ons by stakeholders and by WTO Secretariat . 
One delegation noted that while bamboo was a good candidate for  potential substitute for plastic as 
it was a fast-growing  grass , the whole lifecycle  should be examined, being  mindful of the potential  
biodiversity impacts when considering  land-use and land -use change for alternatives like bamboo 
and other  products  materials . The alternative had to be sustainably produced and harvested, durable 
(lifespan)  and repairable, and  sustainably disposable at end -of-life. Another delegation added that 
bamboo was not water intensive, and did not require the removal of  huge carbon sinks by harvesting 
them. It said the Dialogue could enhance  cooperation and build on INBAR's effort and experience  in 
promoting environm entally sustainable and effective substitutes and alternatives  and that bamboo 
and rattan could be taken as samples  to start an in -depth discussion  on facilitation . Several 
delegations  encouraged WTO Members, especially the Dialogue's co -sponsors to take p art in the Af T INF/TE/IDP/R/9  
 
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  and TrPMs surveys whose results  could inform efforts to tackle plastic pollution, including the INC 
and UNEA  process . 
14. Delegations also engaged in discussions on the two guiding questions that were previously 
shared with them. On the first guiding question, one delegation noted that according to  its 
legislation, a single -use plastic product  was made wholly or partly from plastic and that i s single -
use, i.e. "not conceived, designed or placed on the market to accomplish, within its life span, multiple 
trips or rotations by being returned to a producer for refill or re used for the same purpose for which 
it was conceived ". Importantly, there was no threshold for a minimum level of plastic content, it was 
considered a single -use plastic product as soon as it contain ed any amount of plastic.  Another 
delegation informed  that the definition given to SUP in its domestic legislation comprised plastic  
products that were not  conceived, designed, or introduced into the market for multiple circuits, 
rotations, or uses throughout their life cycle  but were designed to be used only once and with a short 
useful life, where useful lif e was understood  as the average time in which the product performs its 
function. It noted that, based on this definition, the criteria to be considered in the identification of 
SUP were related to the "degree of use" before disposal of the product, and the possibility for the 
product to  perform multiple circuits, rotations, or uses within its life cycle.  
15. One delegation defined "particularly problematic products " as products made from oxo -
degradable plastics, which degraded into micro -plastic particles when littered. Anoth er delegation 
noted several criteria or characteristics could be considered for identifying SUP and problematic 
plastic, including,  inter alia, single -use (low durability), non -biodegrada ble and non -recyclable, 
containing harmful additives, prone to leachi ng, and impact on inland waterways and oceans.  
16. As to the criteria to be considered when identifying environmentally sustainable and effective 
substitutes and alternatives to SUP and products targeted by TrPMs, o ne delegation emphasized  that 
a key considera tion was whether available and affordable alternatives existed. The alternatives could 
be multi -use products or (single -use) products made of different materials (e.g. paper). It noted 
that the substitution by multi -use products was preferable to the subst itution of a single -use (plastic) 
product by another single -use (e.g. paper) product.  Another delegation identified the following 
characteristics for substitutes and alternatives which include, inter alia , life cycle analysis 
(biodegradability and recyclability); affordability (cost -effectiveness ); accessibility  and availability 
(with perhaps a preference for indigenous and/or localized/regional supply chains for material 
substitutes). In addition, related to availability, it a dded the notion of industrial development. Based 
on its domestic review, it identified the following materials , inter alia,  cassava, bagasse (sugarcane 
pulp), abaca (Manila hemp), bamboo, pineapple (clothing fiber), coconut husks (coco coir), and 
glass. One delegation said that plastic polymers could not be effectively replaced by any currently 
existing substitutes or alternatives either in the context of the economy or in terms of environmental 
protection . 
17. Discussions noted that circularity considerations,  full environmental impact assessments and 
adequate evidence need ed to be considered when assessing single -use plastic alternatives to avoid 
unintended consequences. There was currently a lack of evidence that biodegradable plastic 
consistently breakdown i n real world environments. This required a life cycle assessment of a product 
which should, as far as possible, cover the entire life cycle of the product. Another  delegation noted 
that the scale of the problem largely depended on the efficiency of the was te management systems 
and recycling an d encouraged  discussions  on stimulating measures and development of 
infrastructure for waste collection, transportation, and disposal, for instance, the transformation of 
waste into valuable raw material for the market .  
18. Discussions  underscored that it was necessary to address information gaps on Members' 
measures in identifying the single -use plastics that should be subject to TrPMs. Divergence of 
definitions of single -use plastic required international cooperation for  improving transparency.  One 
delegation underscored  that any development of plastics -related trade policies should support and 
look to the UNEA negotiations on a new legally binding global agreement. While the discussions 
within the Dialogue needed to be supportive of the negotiation process, it was equally important to 
avoid duplicating the work of the INC, particularly concerning definitions.  
19. Several stakeholders, including the International Institute for Sustainable Development 
(IISD), the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Forum on Trade, Environment 
and the SDGs (TESS)  also took the floor and shared  their views on the guiding  questions.  INF/TE/IDP/R/9  
 
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  20. IISD said that the WTO Environmental Database (EDB) provided a good sample of measures, 
including on single -use plastics . IISD noted that  notifications in the EDB  were shaped by the 
architecture of the WTO’s agreements and d id not provide much space to include the infor mation 
related to, for example, deposit or extended producer responsibility  (EPR)  schemes or internal taxes 
or levies, including those introduced at a sub -central level. Similarly, the EDB's data would not 
capture the revision of government support program s, such as fossil fuel subsidy reforms that would 
indeed have a significant impact on the efforts to reduce plastic pollution.  IISD said that the 
Dialogue's survey on TrPMs could provide valuable additional information.  
21. CIEL noted that it was important not to focus on what were the worst SUP, but rather on which 
were the limited essential SUP that could remain in the market and by what criteria could any SUP 
be tolerated. CIEL identified two criteria to consider when asse ssing SUP, which included:  (i) 
necessary or essential single -use plastics; and (ii) the compelling reason for this plastic product to 
be necessary or essential. It suggested that one approach to regulate single -use-plastics products 
was using a "positive l ist" approach with the list of allowed plastics to be produced and  traded. And 
this list could include some conditions, and a few exceptions for necessary uses.  
22. TESS underscored t hat a critical point for a discussion on trade and plastic pollution was that 
for many of the SUP there was no  corresponding HS code . While amendments to the WCO HS codes 
were important to help countries target trade flows in SUP that they wish ed to regulate, there was 
also a need for creative technological solutions for tracking trade in SUP at the border, and particular 
standards, that c ould promote transparency of the material composition of plastics that enter ed 
countries. Importantly, problematic plastics were not limited to SUP  as there was a range of plastic 
products that c ould be considered problematic due to their design and material composition, 
including designs that ma de them hard to recycle . 
3  FOCUSED DISCUSSIONS ON PLASTIC PACKAGING, IN PARTICULAR THOSE ASSOCIATED 
WITH INTERNATIONAL TRADE  
3.1  Guiding technical questions  
23. Ecuador recalled the guiding technical questions for this session which included:  
i. What TrPMs could support increased use of recycled content in packaging? How to ensure 
rPET and other recycled plastics, alternatives and substitutes meet trade -related sanitary 
and phytosanitary requirements?  
ii. How could ambitious customs authorities and/or leading enterprises help identify material 
flows of plastic packaging used in traded goods? Would sectoral averages be a potential first 
step?  
 
3.2  Overview of trade  policies targeting packaging found in the Dialogue's Survey of 
TrPMs – WTO Secretariat  
24. The WTO Secretariat made presentation11 on trade policies targeting packaging . There were 
104 TrPMs so far  targeting packaging  which were notified  by 40 Members from all regions and 
development  status . A few of them were in the form of pricing and market  mechanism  , includ ing 
Chile's Framework for Waste Management, Extended Producer Responsibility and Promotion of 
Recycling which  include d an EPR scheme for packagi ng and a “Fund for recycling” . Another example 
was the UK’s Waste and Resources Action Programme ( WRAP) which  include d "industry fees " and 
cover ed the majority of plastic packaging sold through UK supermarkets, and approximately two -
thirds of the total pla stic packaging placed on the UK market . Most of the TrPMs on packaging 
pursued  the objectives of eco -designing, followed by the objective of promotion of alternatives and 
substitutes . Some of the examples of eco-design TrPMs targeting packaging  included, inter alia, 
national standard requirements restricting excessive packaging in foods and cosmetics ; 
requirements applicable to "end -of-life" properties of packaging (recyclability, compostability) ; 
requirements applicable to minimum thickness, (re)usability ; minimum recycled content in 
packaging ; restrictions on certain polymers, additives or coloring ; and g rading and labelling system 
of packaging recyclability  among others. Some e xamples of  TrPMs promoting  alternatives and/or 
substitutes includ ed, inter alia,  biodegradable plastics and/or other products; "easily recyclable" 
 
11 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/69 . INF/TE/IDP/R/9  
 
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  packaging; packaging with higher recycled content; "biosourced" materials ; and r eusable  
alternatives . 
3.3  Technical presentations by stakeholders.  
25. The FAO s poke about guidance on  "food grade" requirements for food packaging . Food 
packaging had the vital functions of protecting food quality and safety and enhancing sustainability 
through the extended shelf life of food. A very particular concern to food packaging materials was 
to ensure that  the safety of the food was not impac ted by the packaging material. In this regard, 
several  countries, mostly high-income  countries, ha d extensive legislation about what qualifie d as 
food packaging material and what of it was safe and could  be used . On the flip side, many other 
countries , par ticularly low- and middle -income  countries, lacked  such legislation  generating 
discrepancies in the international markets . The CODEX Alimentarius Commission was setting the 
benchmark for international food safety standards but d id not provide any internati onal food safety 
standards concerning food packing materials. There had been an interest,  but no formal requests 
made by the Members to the CODEX  Alimentarius Commission for the development of international 
standards for food packaging . FAO noted that f ood packaging recycling was challenging  because 
food packaging materials  were often complex  and multilayer.  
26. The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability (Duke University) made a 
presentation12 related to their Plastic Policy Inventory.  Information in the inventory was drawn  from 
international legal databases, academic journal articles, reports from NGOs or governments, and the 
media. In total, the inventory contained  571 policy documents, 422 of which h ad been assessed 
because they were written in English or had been translated into English.  In the first 20 years of 
policy responses assessed, there was  a regular upward trend of policy adoption. However , there was  
a steady decline in 2020. While it was too soon to tell, there was a lot of interest on the extent to 
which the ongoing COVID -19 pandemic ha d led to a stall in the adoption of new policies . Plastic bags 
and microplastics , which include d land-based sources of plastic waste as well as single -use plas tics, 
were the most often targeted  by national policies over time . The majority of governments used 
regulatory instruments such as bans, plans for future action, or littering regulations to address plastic 
waste, and least commonly used economic instrument s such as fines or economic incentives. In 
some cases, governments were coupling regulatory instruments with informational instruments such 
as outreach campaigns.  When looking at the quantitative  measures of the effect of policy 
instruments targeting plastic bag pollution, including both short - and long -term studies of regulatory 
and economic instruments , it was found that e ach policy was able to achieve at least some amount 
of effectiveness in re ducing plastic bags, ranging from 30 to 100% reduction. The average reduction 
in the consumption of bags after the instrument’s introduction was 64 percent.  The Nicholas Institute 
for Energy, Environment & Sustainability was  currently using government noti fications to WTO to 
add a "trade lens" to the database . 
3.4  Interventions by delegations and stakeholders.  
27. Delegations welcomed the contribution by stakeholders and the Dialogue's efforts in 
organizing the session. One delegation noted that the  unification and  standardization of materials 
and packaging designs could help  preserve the properties of packaging and existing production lines 
while increasing the collection and recyclability of waste.  Another delegation noted that c hanging 
the way plastic  was designe d, produced, and used c ould greatly contribute to reducing plastic 
pollution and marine litter, by preventing waste or turning used plastics into secondary resources.    
28. One delegation noted that for the identification of material flows of plastic packaging, a system 
of data collection could help, where producers and importers of goods , including from the private 
sector,  provide d information about packaging used in traded goods and waste disposers report ed on 
the amount and composition of waste disp osed of.  Discussions also underscored  the importance of 
EPR programs which placed the onus on manufacturers to offset their plastic production by 
supporting schemes that focus on waste reduction, recovery and recycling.  The need for harmonized  
clear and si mplified labelling for plastic packaging recycling and enhanced traceability  was also 
underscored.  
29. Two stakeholders , CIEL and TESS,  also took the floor  under this agenda item . CIEL said that 
the use of  recycled content in new product s had been promoted wit hout weighing the potential harm 
 
12 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/67 . INF/TE/IDP/R/9  
 
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  from post -consumer plastic use against alternatives such as switching to other materials and delivery 
methods. This need ed to be scrutinized taking into account ecological economics, more precisely by 
examining, inter alia, the cost of subsidizing the collection and cleaning of low -value plastics ; the 
costs of harmful additives being passed into new products ; and t he costs of  removing such additives 
from recycling, and the cost of disposing of these additives as hazardous waste. TESS underscored 
the challenge of tracking "hidden packaging "associated  with pre -packaged goods and transportation 
of goods which added to the enviro nmental burden . TESS noted that currently, values include only 
HS codes related to " empty packaging " and underscored that greater information  about  "hidden 
packaging" in  the HS system  was needed .    
4  FOCUSED DISCUSSIONS ON PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT AND TRADE  
4.1  Guiding technical questions  
30. Australia recalled the guiding technical questions for this session which included:  
i. What environmentally sustainable and effective technologies could support the 
implementation of the Basel Convention Plastic Amendment?  
ii. What are the key criteria to be considered when identifying compostable plastics targeted 
by TrPMs? What related capacity needs can be identified?  
iii. What TrPMs could support addressing illegal trade in plastic wastes?  
 
4.2  Overview of trade policies targeting waste and scrap  found in the Dialogue's Survey 
of TrPMs – WTO Secretariat  
31. The WTO Secretariat made presentation13 on trade policies targeting  waste and scrap . The 
survey contained so far  81 such TrPMs from 40 Members mostly from Asia, followed by South 
America and Europe. Out of the total number of  23 support and financial programmes measures in 
the Dialogue's  Survey on TrPMs , 11 focus ed on waste and scrap . Examples of such support measures 
include d, inter alia,  prefer ential tax treatment for products produced with integrated resource 
utilization; grant to project seeking transformation of plastic waste into fuel oil ; support for plastic 
waste recycling; waste levy exemptions and discounts ; expenditure on resource utili zation of 
agricultural wastes, including recycling  of waste plastic films ; and R&D, innovation and technology 
including for alternatives to single -use plastics . Nineteen  of the 81 TrPMs targeting waste and scrap 
identified technical  assistance on policy implementation, access to technology and cooperation from 
value chain actors (including exporters ) as key challenges or needs to implement the measure . 
4.3  Technical presentations by stakeholders.  
32. The Basel Rotterdam and Stockholm Convent ions Secretariat  (BRS)  made a presentation14 on 
technologies related to the implementation of the Basel Convention Plastic Waste Amendments and 
recent developments under the Plastic Waste Partnership (PWP) . The Basel Convention Plastic Waste 
Amendment  clarified the scope of plastic waste subject to  Prior Informed Consent  (PIC) procedure  
and had entered into  force on 24 March 2020, while new entries  had become effective as of 
1 January  2021. The technical guidelines on the Environmentally  Sound Management (ESM)  of 
Plastic Waste  would support the Plastic Waste Amendments and were 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 were expected to be adopted at the 
next BRS Conference of the Parties (COP) . The technical guidelines  provided guidance on recycling  
of plastic waste.  The BRS Secretariat noted that hazardous chemical content in plastics hampered 
the safe recycling  of plastics . 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 third meeting of the PWP wo rking group was taking place from 23 
to 25 November in Punta del Este , Uruguay. The P WP had 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 BRS Secretariat  also pre sented  
the four phase s of plastic production which included, inter alia , (i) sourcing phase; (ii) chemical 
phase;  (iii) material phase; and (iv) dematerialization phase and underscored that trade played a 
 
13 See INF/TE /IDP/RD/71 . 
14 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/75 . INF/TE/IDP/R/9  
 
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  role in connecting to these phases . Finally, the BRS Secretariat informed that the  next BRS COPs 
would take from 1 -12 May 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland .  
33. One delegation qu eried whether the PIC procedure  was fully digitalize d and how the 
traceability  of plastic materials  could be enhance d. The BRS Secretariat  informed that automatization  
of the PIC procedure through electronic means was being considered and progress on this was 
expected by the next  BRS COP. The use of l abelling requirements  could enhance traceability but 
there were challenges  to implementing such label ling practice s, especially for products  that were  
already in the market . The BRS noted that  the traceability of the type of chemicals used in plastics 
could be improved in cooperation with industries and governments and that there were already 
ongoing initiatives such as product  passport s or certifications . 
34. The Plastics Recyclers Europe  (PRE)  presented15 RecyClass technical requirements for 
recyclability . Plastic recyclers play ed a leading role in the circular economy as they participate d in 
the waste management of materia ls, reducing the amount going to incineration or landfill by 
reducing the dependency on virgin raw materials (fossil fuels).  HS codes could be made greener by 
increasing the granularity of codes to meet the variety of polymers types, in waste as well as in  
product trade reporting.  Key to achieving the circularity of plastic waste materials, while ensuring 
the best environmental waste management operation, was enabling traceability by certification.  He 
underscored that t raceability needed  to be ensured by certif ying the recycling facilities, which must 
provide transparent and reliable data that could be used at the product level.  RecyClass was a 
platform launched by  PRE which  provided guidance for recyclabili ty which included  the following 
technical requirements : (i) the product must be made with plastic that is collected for recycling, has 
market value and/or is supported by a legislatively mandated program ; (ii) the product must be 
sorted & aggregated into d efined streams for recycling processes ; (iii) the product can be processed 
& reclaimed/recycled with commercial recycling processes ; and (iv) the recycled plastic becomes a 
raw material that is used in the production of new products . He noted that  the recycling of plastic 
waste required  clear harmonized definitions  for any HS "green" codes . Having a  common 
understanding of labelling on recyclability was also important and must be linked to an international 
standard  that address ed recycled content . 
35. One delegation queried whether plastics were truly recyclable as recent reports , including by 
WWF,  had challenged some industry recycling statistics  and civil society had raised similar concerns. 
PRE noted the importance of ensuring environmental consistency , harmonization  and precision wh en 
referring to recycling. He noted that a common understanding on what could be considered 
"recycled" was important, including excluding degradation.  
4.4  Interventions by delegations and stakeholders.  
36. Delegations welcomed the technical presentations and  some of them  share d about their 
domestic initiatives related to waste management . Discussions noted that g uidance, technical 
guidelines, and fact sheets on plastics under the Basel Convention w ould help actors in th eir 
implementation  of the Convention , including the plastic amendment. Such guidance could comprise 
a clarification  of which plastics were covered by the regulation,  and which were not.  One delegation 
underscored  that for the legal clarity on the Basel Con vention, parties should implement the 
amendment in their  domestic laws and  other international obligations such as bilateral, multilateral 
and regional  trade agreements.   
37. One delegation noted that r educing the production and consumption of plastics, especially the 
most toxic ones, was the primary way to combat illegal trade in plastics.  Another possible solution 
would be to enhance the transparency all along the waste shipment routes from the origin of the 
waste to its destination, and on the content of the waste containers. Also, more digitali zation, 
including the use of block -chains, in the implementation of the Basel Convention procedures would 
help enhance such transparency.  Another delegation inf ormed it was co nsulting on the introduction 
of mandatory electronic waste tracking. Electronic waste tracking would  provide the regulators with 
better quality intelligence on waste exports, enabling more effective targeting of checks and 
resources on parti cular waste streams that were considered problematic.   
38. Several stakeholders also took the floor under this agenda item.  TESS underscored  emerging 
electronic tools  not only could hel p with the traceability of plastic waste but also with transparency 
 
15 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/74 . INF/TE/IDP/R/9  
 
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  of what  it was in the products . However, it was important to ensure that the data coming from these 
technologies  was well classified and that  customs authorities using these technologies had the 
capacity to verify. CIEL noted that "compostable" implied that the plastics would break down  and 
that breaking plastics down per se was not a net positive unless the breakdown products were benign 
(e.g. did not create toxicity issues, or microplastics) . CIEL underscored that w hether composting 
was positive or not rema ined an issue, in particular around the conditions and time by when this 
breakdown t ook place.  
39. The Organisation for Economic Co -operation and Development  (OECD ) made a brief 
overview16 of relevant ongoing work , including issues such as chemical  safety and plastics design , 
EPR analysis, and microplastics among other  topics . The OECD informed about an upcoming report  
later in 2022  focusing on the role of development assistance in tackling plastic pollution in developing 
countries.  This new report brought together expertise and statistical sources across the OECD to 
provide a comprehensive picture on the topic. The report ha d three main objectives  which included,  
inter alia , (i) assessing the scale of the plastics pollution problem in developing countries, using the 
recently published Global Plastics Outlook Database ; (ii) o utlining development co -operation support 
in this area, including quantification of aid flows to curb plastic pollution ; and (ii i) presenting 
innovative approaches to increase financing and impact that could further scaled up . The OECD 
noted that the report  mainly target ed providers of development assistance but  could be useful also 
for policy -makers in developing countries and to inform discussions at upcoming INC meetings . 
5  CONCLUDING REMARKS  
40. Australia summarized the discussions and noted that the WTO-UNCTAD workshop on 
sustainable alternatives and substitutes to plastic  was scheduled  for 6 December 2020 . He 
encouraged delegations  and stakeholders to  send written answers prior to the event  and to contact 
the WTO S ecretariat with product samples they would  like to showcase.  Australia recalled that the 
next and fi nal plenary  was scheduled for 7 December 2022 . Finally, he reminded participants  that 
AfT and TrPMs surveys ' deadline was closing by the 18th of November and encourage d delegations 
to participate even after the deadline . 
 
 
__________  
 
16 See INF/TE/IDP/RD/72 . 