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G20 Summits • 2019 Osaka Summit > G20 Environment Ministerial Meetings

G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter

Karuizawa Town, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, June 16, 2019
[pdf]

We, the G20 members, recognize 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. In this regard, we acknowledge the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolutions 4/7 on Marine plastic litter and microplastics and 4/10 on Addressing single-use plastic products pollution, and note the decision at the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention to include plastic waste under the convention.

As the "G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter" adopted at the G20 Hamburg Summit in 2017 laid the foundation for the G20 members to address marine litter, this "G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastics Litter" is to facilitate further concrete actions on marine litter, especially marine plastic litter and microplastics, in line with the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter, while taking into account our own appropriate policies, approaches, and national circumstances, on a voluntary basis. This framework is expected to complement the work of the UNEP.

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I. Facilitation of Effective Implementation of the Action Plan

We will facilitate effective implementation of the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter through encouraging voluntary actions by the G20 members in accordance with national policies, approaches, and circumstances, and their information sharing and continued updating as follows:

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 organizations 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.

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, utilizing opportunities to co-organize 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[1] where applicable and available.
• Utilize the opportunity of the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue during the Japanese Presidency for the first 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.

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II. Collaborative Actions and Outreach of Implementation of the Action Plan

In addition to Section I, we will engage in collaborative actions among the G20 members and outreach activities beyond the G20, cooperating with and supported by relevant international and regional organizations and initiatives, while maximizing synergies and avoiding duplication of work, particularly with the work of the UNEP, as follows:

1. Promotion of international cooperation

• Engage in international and regional cooperation and share best practices through relevant instruments, initiatives, and programs. Emphasis should be placed on regional cooperation in collaboration with relevant Regional Seas Programs, Regional Fisheries Management Organizations 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 organizations 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

2. Promotion of innovative solutions

• Enhance collaboration internationally to advance innovative solutions such as for product design, resource efficient and circular approaches, waste management practice and technologies, waste water treatment technologies, and 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.

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 harmonized/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 harmonized methodologies in cooperation with Regional Seas Conventions and Programmes, the IOC-UNESCO, the UNEP and other relevant organizations 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 gears 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, and marine biodiversity and ecosystems.

4. Multi-stakeholder involvement and awareness raising

• Collaborate and cooperate with, and empower non-G20 countries, local governments, the private sector, civil society organizations, 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 utilizing opportunities such as "World Environmental Day", "World Oceans Day", and related national awareness days.

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Note

[1] Relevant indicators, data or other numerical information can be also included at the discretion of each G20 member, for example: the amount of waste 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 waste properly disposed of (encouraged to indicate the proportion/elements of plastic waste and/or microplastics, if available) ↩

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Source: Official website of the Japan's G20 Presidency