WTO Ministerial Statement Outlines Trade Steps to Address Plastics Pollution

The six co-cordinators of the World Trade Organization's Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade outlined several "trade-related actions" countries should take to address the environmental, health and economic impacts of plastics pollution, the WTO announced Feb. 27. The co-coordinators -- Australia, Barbados, China, Ecuador, Fiji and Morocco -- released the text as part of the 13th Ministerial Conference.

The measures include "bans on single-use plastics, adopting eco-design and labelling requirements, and offering financial support and tax concessions for sustainable and safe non-plastic substitutes," the WTO said. The organization also said countries should boost transparency of "trade flows of plastics," reduce harmful and single-use plastics, increase sustainable non-plastic substitutes and technologies, and improve the ability of developing countries to "use trade as a tool to tackle plastics pollution."