File picture of a garbage dump filled with plastic and other waste material on the outskirts of Jammu. , Photo Credit: AP
While India may have banned single-use plastic in 2022 and called for employing 'sustainable' alternatives, it has struck a contradictory note at the ongoing United Nations-led Global Plastic Treaty negotiations in Busan, So.
As part of formal submissions on Thursday, India said that while it “encourages the research, innovation, and development of sustainable alternatives and non-plastic substitutes,” it would rather not support the “use” of these products, technologies, and services.
India has also pushed back against a suggestion by the Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) to “reduce the use of primary plastic polymers and associated chemicals of concern in plastic products.” Chemicals of concern are those used in making goods but which are associated with harm.
'India will not be pushed'
While the reasoning behind India's stance was not spelled out, these submissions are not cast in stone. Sources privy to negotiations told The Hindu that the word “use” smacked of irritation at being told what to do. While India's national stand was against plastic waste and pollution and promoting alternate, sustainable materials, India would not allow itself to be “pushed into using” certain products or materials, they said. However, wording could change and depending on how the negotiations progressed, more conciliatory terms could be considered, these sources said. Single-use plastics are only a subset of the wide variety of plastics made from polymer and different grades of plastic lend themselves to varying degrees of recycling.
In its multiple submissions on Thursday, India stressed that any final agreement on addressing plastic pollution should not contravene other multi-lateral agreements; should respect “national priorities, capabilities and priorities and right to development”; and “developing countries must get financial and technical assistance including technology transfer in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.” The latter is a principle derived from climate negotiations, where developed countries, which are counted as responsible for emitting the bulk of atmospheric carbon, are asked to pay up for minimizing future global emissions.
plastic alternatives
There is little clarity on whether sustainable alternatives to plastic exist. While India has, on paper, allowed the use of 'biodegradable' and 'compostable' plastic, lack of clarity on whether such plastic is actually degradable and whether compostable versions are being composted has hindered their widespread adoption. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has frequently worn — and spoken about the benefits of wearing — jackets made from recycled PET bottles. However, the adoption of plastic alternatives such as jute, cotton, cloth or newer synthetic alternatives is hindered by their cost, availability and the cumbersome nature of their use as packaging or containers, compared to the various grades of plastic.
The problem of plastic waste is enormous in India. An investigation by the Center for Science and Environment estimates that since 2022, nearly 24 million tonnes of plastic packaging have been introduced into India with a mechanical recycling capacity of only 9.8 million tonnes. Of the 15 million tonnes of plastic that are used in consumer products and become waste within a year, only about 20% is collected. While this is not a uniquely Indian problem, the inability to manage plastic waste after it is used as a product has led to calls, such as in the INC negotiations, to check the production of plastic itself.
No consensus
The INC-5 Chair, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, before the start of negotiations on Monday, presented a text, called a 'non paper,' that laid out a reference document containing 32 'Articles' dealing with multiple dimensions of plastic waste, pollution, and curbing sources of production. While countries are largely on board with amplifying action on addressing plastic waste and waste management, there are disagreements among countries, particularly those where petro-chemicals and refining, or production of plastic are major industries, vital to livelihoods. This list includes China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and the United States. They see the cessation of plastic production as potentially disruptive, so there has been pushback, though this is nuanced and varies country by country.
The net result is that despite four days of negotiations, nearly every sentence in the 18-page document put forth by Mr. Valdivieso is contested, with countries demanding their own modifications to every one of the 'Articles,' that is threatening to blow up an already bloated text. A streamlined consensus document, where everyone has agreed to every line, is necessary for the gestation of a legally-binding Global Plastics Treaty. Once this comes into being and countries sign on, it will pave the way for regular meetings by countries – like in the better known climate conferences – called the Conference of Parties that will then, year by year, push narratives and action toward eliminating plastic.
Published – November 28, 2024 09:08 pm IST