| June 27th, 2024 | News

Members of the SOS-ZEROPOL2030 project team, Emily Cowan and Rachel Tiller of SINTEF, attended the Fourth Session of Negotiations on a Treaty to End Plastic Pollution in Canada (INC-4), where they worked on a database to analyse how global environmental treaties are formed. A potential element to be included in the plastics treaty is that at the focus of the SOS-ZEROPOL2030 project: Tyre Wear Particles (TWPs).  

Between April 23rd – April 29th, 2024 – at the Shaw Centre in the capitol city of Canada, Ottawa, the fourth session of negotiations (INC-4) for a treaty to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment took place. On schedule, the negotiations are expected to conclude by December 2024 in Busan, Republic of Korea, after five long subsequent sessions. However, the so-called ‘Road to Busan’ is fraught with doubt. Numerous member states called to keep the INC-4 session open as many were concerned there is not enough time to finalize the treaty text before the end of the year. 

“An example of a plastic product containing chemicals of concern that has the potential to be included in the plastics treaty, is that at the focus of the SOS-ZEROPOL2030 project: Tyre Wear Particles” – Emily Cohen, SINTEF Ocean

One of the discussion points of INC-4 was the issues of plastics containing chemicals of concern (CoC). You might have noticed a shift in the early 2010s where plastic products, especially ones in contact with food, suddenly had a ‘BPA free’ sticker on them. This is just one example of the thousands of unregulated chemicals and additives in plastic products. BPA was banned due to evidence relating to its numerous harmful health effects. Since there is currently no agreed list of the exact CoC to be regulated under the plastics treaty, there is a need to work on compiling this before the final session (INC-5). An example of a plastic product containing chemicals of concern that has the potential to be included in the plastics treaty, is that at the focus of the SOS-ZEROPOL2030 project: Tyre Wear Particles (TWPs).  

Understanding countries’ positions

During the negotiations in Ottawa two members of the SOS-ZEROPOL2030 project team, Rachel Tiller, and myself, representing SINTEF, are systematically following the process. Part of the work the SINTEF team is conducting during these negotiations is building a database to allow future academics, politicians and members of civil society to analyse how global environmental treaties are formed. In doing so, they were able to systematically document statements in the negotiation room and understand countries’ positions on important topics, like that of TWPs.  

In conducting this type of Ethnographic data, we can track when TWPs were brought up throughout INC-4. The importance of including TWPs was mentioned by multiple members of the High Ambition Coalition, including the EU. However, agreeance on whether TWPs should fall under CoC (plastic production stage) or the core obligation on emissions (plastics end-of-life stage) is to be determined.

“We have an enormous task ahead of us, we have worked very hard this week to make sure that all our positions are clearly established and included in the draft […] however the EU and its member states are still deeply concerned about the days left we have for negotiations at our disposal will not suffice to bring our work across the finish line in November” – Hugo Maria Schally, Adviser for international environmental negotiations, Directorate General for the Environment, the European Commission

SOS-ZEROPOL2030 project members, Emily Cohen and Rachel Tiller (SINTEF) are systematically following the INC-process / Emily Cohen, SINTEF

Trickling into EU policy

Although the fourth session was officially concluded, there is much needed ‘intersessional’ work scheduled for summer 2024 to discuss means of implementation, financial mechanisms as well as analyse criteria regarding chemicals of concern in plastic products. Our Ethnographers will be on the ground for INC-5 at the end of November 2024 to track and understand the potential for TWPs to start trickling into EU policy, and at which stage of the life cycle this may come.  

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Relevant peer reviewed articles:

1. Cowan, E. (2024). Event Ethnography to study the global negotiations on the treaty to end plastic pollution: dataset from the first session of negotiations (INC-1). Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 1-8.
2. Cowan, E., Holmberg, K., Nøklebye, E., Rognerud, I., & Tiller, R. (2024). It takes two to tango: the second session of negotiations (INC-2) for a global treaty to end plastic pollution. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 14(2), 428-434.
3. Cowan, E., Tiller, R., & Maes, T. (2024). The Rule of Three: The Third session of negotiations (INC-3) on the global treaty to end plastic pollution. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences.