Background
Plastic has been regarded as a useful material in terms of its versatility and wide-ranging applications. In the last few years, it has been reported that the amount of plastic in the world’s oceans has been rapidly growing and poses a threat to the environment and our way of life. These issues need to be addressed through global coordinated actions at multiple levels. Marine litter issues, especially marine plastic litter and microplastics, have been intensively discussed at various international fora. The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution 4/7 on Marine plastic litter and microplastics and resolution 4/10 on Addressing single-use plastic products pollution, were adopted.
G20 members recognise the increasing urgency to tackle the issue of marine litter, especially marine plastic litter and microplastics, on a global scale, further building on existing efforts. At the G20 Hamburg summit in July 2017, the “G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter” was launched. At the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth, Karuizawa held in June 2019, the “G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter” was established, and endorsed by the G20 Leaders at the subsequent G20 Osaka Summit. As a common global vision, the “Osaka Blue Ocean Vision” was shared by the leaders at the Summit. This vision aims to reduce additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by 2050 through a comprehensive life-cycle approach that includes reducing the discharge of mismanaged plastic litter by improved waste management and innovative solutions while recognising the important role of plastics for society.
Actions under the framework
I. Facilitation of Effective Implementation of the Action Plan
We will facilitate effective implementation of the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter by encouraging G20 members to take voluntary actions in accordance with national policies, approaches and circumstances, and also encouraging them to continue to share information and carry out updates as follows:
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1. Implementation of actions
Facilitate the implementation of the G20 members’ actions in line with the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter, based on respective national policies, approaches and circumstances, and in collaboration with Regional Seas Conventions and other relevant organisations and instruments.
Promote a comprehensive life-cycle approach to urgently and effectively prevent and reduce plastic litter discharge to the oceans, in particular from land-based sources, through measures, inter alia, environmentally-sound waste management, environmentally-sound clean-up of marine plastic litter, deployment of innovative solutions, and international cooperation to enhance national capacities, as well as prevention and reduction of plastic waste generation and littering, promotion of sustainable consumption and production, including but not limited to promoting resource efficiency, circular economy, sustainable materials management, waste to value approach, and measures to address sea-based sources.
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2. Information-sharing and continued updating
Share and update information on relevant policies, plans, and measures taken/to be taken in line with the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter on a voluntary basis and promote policies and measures by peer learning from best practices, utilising opportunities to co-organise with relevant meetings, inter alia, the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue and the multi-stakeholder platform to be established under the UNEP, which will be decided by G20 presidencies.
The information to be shared may include effective measures to prevent and reduce plastic litter discharge to the oceans and their achievements and challenges where applicable and available.
The information to be shared may include effective measures to prevent and reduce plastic litter discharge to the oceans and their achievements and challenges where applicable and available. - Utilise the opportunity of the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue during the Japanese Presidency for the first occasion of information-sharing, and make a portal site available with the support of the Government of Japan for efficient information-sharing and updating, and possible outreach.
1 Relevant indicators, data or other numerical information can be also included at the discretion of each G20 member, for example: the amount of wastes generated, reused, collected, recycled, and properly disposed of; the amount of marine litter cleaned up; the scale of use of innovative technologies and materials including R&D investment; the scale and/or effect of assistance for countries that need technical capacity development including the increased amount of wastes properly disposed of (encouraged to indicate the proportion/elements of plastic waste and/or microplastics, if available)
Ⅱ. Collaborative Actions and Outreach beyond the G20 for Implementation of the Action Plan
We will facilitate effective implementation of the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter by encouraging G20 members to take voluntary actions in accordance with national policies, approaches and circumstances, and also encouraging them to continue to share information and carry out updates as follows:
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1. Promotion of international cooperation
Engage in international and regional cooperation and share best practices through relevant instruments, initiatives and programmes. Emphasis should be placed on regional cooperation in collaboration with relevant Regional Seas Programmes, Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and other regional initiatives, as appropriate.
Promote cooperation among the G20 members and with other partners to empower governments, communities, and the private sector to advance measures mentioned in Section I. 1 including through technical assistance for those who need technical capacity development.
Invite relevant international organisations to develop policy tools/options such as best practice guidance for capacity development and infrastructure investment through, inter-alia, public-private partnership to remove barriers to private financing, in cooperation with the G20 members.
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2. Promotion of innovative solutions
Enhance collaboration internationally to advance innovative solutions such as product design, resource efficient and circular approaches, waste management practice and technologies, waste water treatment technologies, environmentally-sound products, taking into account their contribution to marine pollution and full life-cycle environmental impact, in cooperation with existing international fora and initiatives, including but not limited to the World Circular Economy Forum, the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy, the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue, and the G7 Innovation Challenge to Address Marine Plastic Litter. Encourage relevant actors to take a life-cycle approach in the development and market penetration of innovative solutions to reduce the negative environmental, economic and social impacts.
Encourage voluntary activities by the private sector internationally on the advancement of innovative solutions including environmentally-sound product design, resource-efficient business models, and value retention practices. Explore ways to support and further facilitate such activities, including through holding relevant workshops in collaboration with business communities
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3. Sharing scientific information and knowledge
Encourage the ongoing work of GESAMP (Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection) to strengthen scientific foundations and build scientific capacity including by promoting and piloting harmonised/comparable monitoring and analytical methodologies for measuring and monitoring marine litter, especially marine plastic litter and microplastics and their impact.
Encourage the development of global-scale monitoring of marine litter, especially marine plastic litter and microplastics, using harmonised methodologies in cooperation with Regional Seas Conventions and Programmes, IOC-UNESCO, UNEP and other relevant organisations and initiatives.
Encourage scientific communities and relevant experts to explore ways to identify and estimate the sources, pathways and fate of plastic waste leakage toward the development of global land and sea-based source inventories, including by holding relevant workshops, and contribute to the scientific and technological work of the UNEP, while noting that single-use plastics and fishing gear are reported to constitute significant sources.
Encourage international coordination on scientific research, including socio-economic research and research on microplastics including nanoplastics, and the sharing of scientific knowledge such as the impacts of plastic pollution on human health, marine biodiversity and ecosystems
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4. Multi-stakeholder involvement and awareness-raising
Collaborate and cooperate with, and empower non-G20 countries, local governments, the private sector, civil society organisations, NGOs, and academia to work in a multi-sector manner and invite them to take actions in line with this framework, including in collaboration with partnerships or networks focused on global marine litter issues.
Raise awareness globally on the importance of, among others, urgent and effective actions at all levels to prevent and reduce plastic litter discharge to the oceans, as well as sustainable consumption and production, including but not limited to promoting resource efficiency, circular economy, sustainable materials management, and waste to value, by utilising opportunities such as “World Environmental Day,” “World Oceans Day,” and related national awareness days
About this portal site
As stated in the G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter, the G20 members agreed to facilitate effective implementation of the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter by encouraging voluntary actions by G20 members, and engaging in collaborative actions and outreach activities. It was also stated that the G20 would seize the opportunity of the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue held during the Japanese Presidency to carry out initial information-sharing, and make a portal site available with the support of the Government of Japan for efficient information-sharing and updating, as well as possible outreach.
Japan held follow-up sessions for the G20 Implementation Framework, making good use of opportunities at the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue 2019 in Tokyo where G20 members shared and updated information on relevant policies, plans, and measures taken/to be taken in line with the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter on a voluntary basis
The information provided by G20 members and others was summarised and shared at follow-up sessions for the Implementation Framework, and utilised to promote national policies and measures through peer learning from best practices based on the agreement of the framework. Discussions focused on the best way to carry out collaborative actions to deal with MPL among the G20 members and outreach activities beyond the G20, including the development of this portal site, cooperating with and supported by relevant international and regional organisations.