We need a new global agreement.

The report suggests that all countries should commit to having a national plastics management plan that will consider measures across the entire life-cycle of plastics. This is a very recommendable proposal.
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Finland has a plastics roadmap in place since 2018 and the implementation of the roadmap’s activities is overseen by a multi-stakeholder network consisting of various types of actors. This has been key to drive actions at national level.

This Nordic Report is a welcome contribution to the global policy discussion. We need to move faster towards reuse and recycling plastic, and towards a more circular economy. We look forward to engaging in discussions with other countries in other regions about the report and explore how this can help ambitious governments respond to this growing environmental challenge.

Looking back, we have seen multilateral environment agreements take some time to develop, but we have also seen swift negotiations. It is a matter of urgency and political will to make bold decisions. I hope we can look back and say we did not fail future generations.

We need to rethink how we deal with plastics from beginning-to-end. Which are the concrete steps we need to take? One concrete step that we should agree on is that unnecessary plastic products should be removed from the market. The flooding of the market with single-use plastics that are used for a minute but pollute for centuries is simply not sustainable.

Sustainability criteria for plastic products across the life cycle is another interesting proposal in the report. Such criteria can trigger more sustainable design of plastic products put on the markets, that are recyclable, reusable and repairable. This is something new, but that could be an important tool on a global level.