Media Advisory: Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations to Resume in South Korea, Canadian Plastic Pollution Expert on the Ground and Available to Comment

Toronto | Traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Between November 25 and December 2, 2024, Environmental Defenceâ€s Senior Program Manager for Plastics, Karen Wirsig, will join country delegations, experts and activists from around the world for the fifth negotiating session (INC-5) toward a global plastics treaty.

This round of negotiations will take place in Busan, South Korea, and follows the fourth round that took place in Ottawa (INC-4) in April of this year. Environmental Defence has been at the forefront of the fight against plastic pollution for years and is a strong voice in Canada advocating for an effective global plastics treaty—one that builds on and reinforces strong domestic action to rein in the production, use and disposal of plastics.

Wirsig will be able to provide insights into how the negotiations are proceeding behind closed doors, including whether Canada and other “high-ambition†countries are doing what is needed to achieve an effective treaty.

When: Monday November 25, 2024, to Monday, December 2, 2024

Who: Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager, Plastics

Where: Busan, South Korea. Interviews available by phone or video call.

What: Final round of negotiations for a global treaty to address plastic pollution

Background:

• INC-5 is the final scheduled meeting of the Parties, who are negotiating on the basis of a 2022 United Nations Environment Assembly mandate to end plastic pollution.
• Negotiations have been characterized to date by resistance from fossil-producing countries and the petrochemical industry but “high ambition†countries, including Canada, are still working to finalize a deal in Busan.
• Environmental Defence is advocating for a legally binding agreement with measures that eliminate pollution generated at every phase of plastics, from extraction of raw materials to refining, manufacturing, use, and waste.

ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

Lauren Thomas, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca