The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) urges the international community to establish a standardized global plastics treaty, emphasizing its importance to environmental and financial stability.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines has called for a binding global framework to tackle the plastic pollution crisis worldwide. During the High-Level Business and Policy Roundtable on the Global Plastics Treaty held in New York, Environment Undersecretary for Finance Analiza Teh emphasized that a global plastics agreement would be the most critical environmental treaty since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. She highlighted that unified policies could reduce financial risks for investors by standardizing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) metrics and regulatory terms, thereby lowering compliance costs across borders and attracting institutional investment for sustainable infrastructure and public-private partnerships.
Teh underscored the necessity of a comprehensive treaty with predictable and standardized frameworks that align global capital with circular economy outcomes. She appealed to private companies to actively participate by sharing information on alternative materials, supporting mandatory measures to counter the artificially low costs of virgin plastics, and directly funding regional waste management solutions.
Critically, she warned against treaties focusing solely on waste management and recycling, stating that such limited scope would perpetuate toxic exposure and impose financial burdens that many countries cannot sustain.
Within the Philippines, the DENR has already taken steps to enforce compliance with the EPR Law, issuing 155 show cause letters to companies for alleged failures in managing their plastic waste responsibly. Reported recovery rates for plastics in 2024 reached nearly 60% for rigid plastics and over 56% for flexible plastics, surpassing the initial target of 40%, with a new goal set at 60% for 2026.
The DENR’s advocacy for a global plastics treaty aligns with broader efforts in the region to address environmental challenges and promote sustainable economic development.
Sources referenced:
- https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1004255/denr-seeks-binding-global-plastics-treaty-to-address-plastic-crisis/story/
