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The Global plastics treaty (GPT) mandates the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to create binding rules based on the best available science, traditional knowledge, knowledge of indigenous peoples and local knowledge systems

The complexity of global environmental challenges has meant the interface between science and policy has become increasingly important in shipping coordinated global policy response to the world's most complex environmental issues.

Many INC-2 delegated indicated that the scope of the treaty should include plastics alternative and substitutes. However there are no internationally agreed definitions of plastics alternatives nor plastics substitutes. Sound definitions will support fully informed treaty negotiations.

This factsheet is intended to support fully informed global plastics treaty negotiations by clarifying the terminology used to describe plastics as polymers or materials and not plastics as products.

Plastic removal technologies (PRTs) promise to improve environmental quality by removing plastics from the environment but they can also threaten biodiversity. Almost no environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are done on PRTs.

The ever-increasing discharges and accumulation of microplastics in the environment is a serious global concern. Microplastics are found in polar ice caps, at the top of mountains, in soil, freshwater systems and all ocean basins, from the surface to the deep sea.

To deliver an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) to end plastic pollution will require mobilising substantial financial resources from a variety of sources to achieve its objective. This may include leveraging new multilateral finance from developed (donor) countries developing (recipient) countries party to the new agreement, accessing existing multilateral and bilateral finance and ensuring flows of private sector finance.

Sea-based marine plastic pollution is roughly estimated to comprise around 20% of all marine plastic pollution and represents a major threat to marine ecosystem. However, sea-based marine plastic pollution has not been sufficiently addressed to date representing a significant gap in global governance.

Reuse is a key component of the 3Rs + return (reduce, reuse and recycle) approach to reducing pollution but it has not yet been fully embraced in policy despite its reference in the Sustainable Development Goals.

Early action on adaptation and mitigation will be beneficial in both the near and long term, reducing climate risks for humans and ecosystems. Adaptation actions will benefit Pacific islanders through reduced vulnerability but cannot prevent all losses and damages.