WTO plastics group eyes voluntary guidelines by MC14, final outcomes by MC15

Half of all World Trade Organization members by next March’s ministerial conference hope to develop voluntary guidelines aimed at reducing environmentally harmful plastics trade and agree on “concrete, pragmatic, and effective outcomes” by the ministerial after that, according to documents circulated in Geneva. The 83 members of the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade are considering a draft ministerial statement for MC14 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, that endorses five “technical outcomes” with a variety of provisions, including agreements...