The Philippine Plastics Industry Association, Inc. (PPIA) is strongly urging the Philippines to help secure a Global Plastics Treaty that enables the rapid expansion of waste management and circular plastics systems based on each country’s national action plans.
PPIA has joined the Global Plastics Alliance (GPA) in its campaign to forge a plastics treaty at the upcoming Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) meeting in Geneva on August 4. The GPA is concerned that the INC process risks losing momentum without an agreement in Geneva after failing to reach consensus on the global treaty during its meeting in Busan in December 2024.
The GPA also calls for the final agreement to require countries to develop national action plans. These plans will ensure the most effective measures to establish circular plastics systems can be implemented based on each country’s unique economic and social needs. They should include common elements and transparent reporting requirements to track progress and create strong demand signals to drive investment in collection, sorting and recycling.
PPIA President Benjamin Chua said their group is championing a treaty that fits each country’s development stage.
“A one-size-fits-all approach will not work. A truly effective treaty leaves no country behind, ensuring progress reaches every corner of the globe. In addition to supporting the requirement for country-specific action plans within the treaty, we call on the Philippines to develop a fit-for-purpose plan to support its transition to a circular plastics system,” said Chua.
He said the PPIA is aligned with GPA’s position for a treaty that has plastics circularity at its core and prioritizes providing proper waste management to the roughly 2.7 billion people who lack it. “The agreement must be ambitious, feasible, and equitable for the developing world and countries with economies in transition, while enabling society to continue to benefit from plastics,” Chua said.
Chua also echoed the call of Benny Mermans, chairman of the World Plastics Council to which PPIA is a member, for the upcoming INC meeting to reach a successful agreement at the soonest possible time. Chua quoted Mermans as saying, “I would urge negotiators to focus on delivering quick wins and what unites us – building waste management capacity and the circular model we all aspire to. We must steer away from contentious issues that threaten the historic opportunity to reach an agreement to end plastic pollution.”
The GPA highlights the urgent need for convergence on key policy drivers — including well-designed extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, mandatory recycled content targets, preventing high-leakage plastic applications, enabling trade in plastics waste, guidance on product design and proper recognition of the informal sector.
