Daesan, South Korea, November 30, 2024 – As final negotiations for a UN Global Plastics Treaty enter a critical phase in Busan, South Korea (1), Greenpeace International activists have boarded a tanker preparing to load plastic chemicals toxic waste from the Hanwha TotalEnergies complex in South Korea. They are urging governments to resist interference from the petrochemical and fossil fuel industries in the negotiations and to present a treaty that firmly reduces plastic production, which on current trends will triple by 2050.
Activists from around the world, including Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom (2), equipped with safety equipment, jumped from Greenpeace’s flagship Rainbow Warrior in RHIBs (rigid inflatable boats), boarded the tanker Buena Alba and set up tents on its mast. The 96-meter-long Buena Alba is planned to carry propylene made from fossil fuels, a key ingredient in plastic production (3).
The move follows the publication of new analysis by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) which reveals that more than 220 petrochemical lobbyists are attending the final Global Plastics Treaty talks in Busan, the highest number in any negotiation. so far (4). Big oil and gas companies that produce plastic, along with petrochemical-producing countries, have also dominated previous treaty negotiations and are lobbying hard to exclude production cuts from the treaty.
Greenpeace UK climbing team volunteer Alex Wilson said:
“We are taking direct action here today – stopping this shipment of plastic – to urge world leaders to listen to the voices of millions of people around the world, along with scientists and businesses, who are demanding that plastic production be reduced to stop plastic pollution.”
“While we protest here, petrochemical industry lobbyists are deploying their forces in Busan. They are using their power, money and access to try to ensure that the treaty does not do what it is supposed to do: turn off the tap on plastic production.
The question of whether the treaty will reduce plastic production has become one of the most contentious issues in the negotiations. Despite growing concerns about the health and environmental impacts of plastic, production has continued to increase. This growth will consume at least 21-31% of the remaining carbon budget to limit global warming to 1.5°C (5). Greenpeace estimates that staying within the carbon budget requires at least 75% cuts in plastic production by 2040.
There has been strong support for the idea of addressing production under the treaty. On Thursday, a new cross-regional proposal for a global plastic production reduction target won the support of 100 countries (6). Furthermore, the newly formed Champions of Change, a coalition of 350 global companies, has gone further and called for production cuts in line with climate commitments (7).
Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation to the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and head of the global plastics campaign at Greenpeace USA said:
“We are in the last minute of negotiations and we are urging world leaders to seize this decisive moment to reverse the plastics crisis. Countries must agree to reduce the amount of plastic produced to protect human health, avoid climate chaos and encourage investments in a truly circular economy.
“A treaty that does not address plastic production would be a failure and this should be a red line for all governments committed to ending the plastic pollution crisis,”
According to a recent Greenpeace report, South Korea’s petrochemical industries, home to Japan, Taiwan and the INC5, play a major role in fueling plastic pollution and the climate crisis. The analysis revealed that CO2e emissions from South Korea’s plastic production capacity are equivalent to those of Japan and Taiwan., combined, highlighting the urgent need to reduce plastic production to reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions (8).
Mikyoung Kim, project director at Greenpeace’s Seoul office, said:
“South Korea is the world’s largest producer of plastic waste in the OECD and the fourth largest producing country in the petrochemical industry (4). The South Korean government should listen to the wishes of its citizens who want to see an end to plastic pollution. Corporate interests should not prevail over those of the public. The fifth negotiating meeting of the Global Treaty on Plastics (INC9), the greatest opportunity to address this issue