Keystone-SDA
The UN requests a reform of customs tariffs on plastic, less than those imposed on alternatives. If he succeeds in the coming weeks in Geneva, an international treaty must consider this question, she said on Thursday.
(Keystone-ATS) In a report published in Geneva, UN Commerce and Development (UNCTED) explains that the customs prices on plastic and rubberized products have increased in an average of 34 to just over 7%. However, those for substitutes such as natural fibers or algae reach almost 15%.
According to figures for 2023 relayed Thursday by the UN agency, plastic trade worldwide exceeded $ 1100 billion. A volume which constitutes 5% of the value of the trade in goods.
It is down compared to the previous year but it is probably underestimated, the States not having all given any indications. He has more than doubled in almost twenty years.
For its part, the trade in plastic substitutes established in 2023 at 485 billion dollars, up 5.6% in developing countries. But market access is limited by tariff obstacles and regulatory incentives are not sufficient, deplores UNCTAD.
About 170 states expected in Geneva
Some countries have decided for prohibitions or conditions for plastic. But divergent approaches are a problem for access to SMEs and small exporters of developing countries to a sustainable substitute market, according to the UN agency.
Three quarters of the plastic ends in the oceans or ecosystems, affecting the food system and the health of human beings. Small island states or developing countries that are on the edge of the seas and oceans are largely affected, according to UNCTAD.
More than 170 states are expected next Tuesday in Geneva for last chance negotiations for a binding agreement to limit plastic pollution. Most of them, including Switzerland, wish to convince the oil states that blocked any advance in South Korea at the end of last year to remove their objections on production efforts.
UNCTAD requests pricing and non -tariff reforms to facilitate the trade in substitutes. It also wants investments in waste management, digital tools for traceability and customs compliance of plastic or political coherence with agreements already affected by other international devices.
