Plastics Dialogue midpoint review charts path towards MC14

Guatemala expressed appreciation for the Dialogue’s progress on the workplan and signalled its readiness to contribute its domestic perspectives.

Opening remarks were delivered by Ambassador Omar Zniber, from Morocco. Stressing trade’s role as a force for good in combating pollution, he emphasized the significant progress made since last summer and reiterated the goal of achieving “concrete, pragmatic, and effective outcomes” as mandated by ministers at MC13. He said that the stocktaking meeting provided an opportunity to consolidate members' views and chart the course ahead in the remaining time before MC14.

Morocco highlighted the success of the regional workshop for Africa held on 8 April, which brought together representatives from African member governments, businesses and international organizations. The workshop aimed to facilitate DPP discussions ahead of MC14 in Cameroon by addressing Africa-specific challenges and solutions.

The workshop revealed that, despite accounting for just 4 per cent of global plastics production, Africa suffers disproportionately from the environmental, social and economic impacts of plastic pollution. Key challenges identified included high costs for plastics alternatives, limited access to technologies, and competition from low-cost plastics. Opportunities included reducing tariffs on eco-friendly products, promoting local innovation, and improving technology transfer for waste management and alternatives.

Participants at the workshop also underscored the importance of regional and multilateral cooperation, with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) highlighted as a platform for regulatory alignment. Calls were made for harmonized standards, capacity building and tailored technical assistance — especially for least developed countries (LDCs).

Morocco and Australia provided a recap of discussions on the eight focus areas, on behalf of the coordinators, which also include Barbados, China, Ecuador and Fiji. With regard to engagement in the UN-led negotiation process (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, or INC ) to develop a global plastics treaty, members acknowledged its expected impact on the DPP’s future work and highlighted the Dialogue’s potential role in supporting implementation.

On transparency of plastics trade flows, strong support was expressed for leveraging existing tools such as those provided by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In the area of technical assistance and capacity building, members welcomed continued experience-sharing, with some proposing a more structured matchmaking mechanism. On the transparency of trade-related plastics measures (TrPMs), delegates expressed support for enhancing existing data tools, such as the WTO’s Environmental Database (wto.org/EDB).

On best practices for TrPMs, members demonstrated some support for compiling guidance aligned with WTO rules and adaptable to local contexts. Regarding harmonization and interoperability, many backed regional cooperation on single-use plastics, while emphasizing the need to tailor approaches to domestic waste management capacities.

Discussions on access to technologies and services underscored the role of trade in enabling technology diffusion for sound waste management. On non-plastic substitutes, members suggested identifying gaps in international standards and conducting practical mapping exercises to facilitate sustainable alternatives.

Participants then engaged in an open discussion guided by questions related to the three overarching workstreams — cross-cutting issues, plastics reduction, and sustainable plastics trade — which encompass the eight focus areas. These discussions aimed to generate suggestions on the future direction of work and next steps.

Many co-sponsors emphasized the importance of aligning DPP activities with the anticipated outcomes of the ongoing INC negotiations. While data tools provided by the UNITAR and UNEP were appreciated, some participants proposed referencing additional data sources. Various proposals were made on the way forward, including continued thematic discussions and the organization of a dedicated matchmaking event to support enhanced technology transfer.

Delegates also explored work on standards at both regional and global levels. There was strong interest in addressing both upstream and downstream aspects of plastics production, as well as services within the environmental trade sector. The importance of technology transfer and capacity building — particularly for developing members — was widely reaffirmed.

Co-sponsors welcomed the Africa-themed workshop as a valuable platform for focused dialogue on regional perspectives. They expressed support for organizing more regional workshops to further deepen cooperation and shared understanding. Participants also highlighted the need to maintain balance across the three DPP workstreams. Some called for sufficient time to assess progress before determining possible outcomes for MC14. Stakeholders from other organizations also contributed suggestions during the session.

In conclusion, Australia and Ecuador noted that they would reflect on members’ input when developing the agenda for the next three meetings, scheduled for 19 May, 22 July and 30 September. These meetings will be critical to laying the groundwork for the November meeting, where members could shape a clearer vision for outcomes at MC14. Additional regional workshops will also be organized alongside these upcoming meetings.

Launched in November 2020 by a group of WTO members, the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution currently consists of 83 co-sponsors, representing almost 90 per cent of global trade in plastics.