Financing Implementation of the Global Plastics Treaty

The future international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution presents a historic opportunity to address one of the most pervasive drivers of environmental degradation worldwide. Yet the effectiveness of the treaty will ultimately depend not only on the ambition of its substantive obligations but also on the availability of adequate, predictable, accessible and sustainable financial resources to support implementation. 

Plastic pollution is intrinsically linked to the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution. It affects terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, threatens food security and human health, and imposes significant economic costs on societies worldwide. Effective implementation of the treaty therefore represents an opportunity not only to reduce plastic pollution but also to advance biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, climate resilience and sustainable development. 

Finance should not be viewed as a standalone negotiating issue. Rather, it is a core means of implementation that will determine whether Parties can translate treaty commitments into tangible outcomes. An effective financial mechanism must support implementation across the full lifecycle of plastics, mobilize resources from multiple sources, respond to the needs of developing countries, and remain sufficiently flexible to evolve over time. 

Drawing on lessons from other multilateral environmental agreements, including the Montreal Protocol, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), this brief identifies key considerations for negotiators and proposes recommendations for a future plastics treaty financial mechanism.