India highlights plastic phase-out resolution

Hindustan Times

02-05-2025

Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday recalled that India introduced a resolution on single-use plastics at the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly of the UNEP which was held in 2019, in a move that brought the issue of plastic pollution to the centre of global discourse.
Speaking at the Conference of the Parties (COPs) to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions, in Geneva, Yadav highlighted that the effective execution of the BRS Conventions relies significantly on access to finance, technology transfer, capacity-building, technical assistance, and strengthened international cooperation.
At the ministerial roundtable on 'Means of Implementation', the minister outlined India's integrated approach to implementing the conventions through national legislation such as the Environment (Protection) Act, the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, and the E-Waste Management Rules, 2016, which are supported by sustained investments in institutional and technical infrastructure.
On the sidelines of the COPs, Yadav participated in a consultation meeting organized by Norway on the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution. He apprised participants of India's domestic initiatives such as the ban on identified single-use plastic items and the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging.
'India remains steadfast in its commitment to multilateral environmental cooperation and will continue to advocate for the interests of developing countries while ensuring equitable, science-based, and sustainable solutions for the planet,' a statement from environment ministry said.
During a bilateral meeting with Katrin Schneeberger, director of the federal office for the environment, Switzerland, Yadav discussed matters related to the development of a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution, and India's support for the establishment of a Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals and Waste, as mandated by UNEA resolutions.
HT reported on December 1 last year that the 5th Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution in Busan failed to agree on developing a treaty, pushing talks to another INC session in 2025.
'Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. The text still has brackets...we have made tangible moves and I hope the committee can agree to use the draft text as starting point and basis of negotiation,' said Luis Vayas Valdivieso, chair of INC 5.
Some developing nations including India and China opposed curbing primary polymer production, seeking instead to focus on plastic waste management.
The High-Level Segment, on the theme of 'Make visible the invisible: Sound management of chemicals and wastes', of the BRS COPs features ministerial roundtables and interactive dialogues focused on collaborative global action.