Balvidieso Chair: "Plastic Reduction Agreement Will Definitely Be Made in Busan"

Luis Bayas Balvidieso, Chair of the 5th Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) for the Establishment of an International Agreement to End Plastic Pollution, attended a press conference held on the 25th at BEXCO in Haeundae-gu, Busan. Photo by Seungseop Song tmdtjq8506@

Lewis Bayas Balvidieso, chairperson overseeing discussions on the international plastic treaty, expressed strong determination on the 25th, stating, "I am clearly confident that we will succeed in drafting the international treaty (on plastic reduction) by December 1."

At a press conference held at BEXCO in Haeundae-gu, Busan, Balvidieso, chairperson of the '5th Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) for the Establishment of an International Treaty to End Plastic Pollution,' responded to criticisms that "meaningful drafting may not be achieved" by making this statement.

INC-5 is the body discussing the international treaty related to plastic pollution. This is the fifth and final meeting, running from today until next month’s 1st. The key issue is whether to regulate production materials such as plastic polymers. The European Union (EU) side hopes for a strong treaty that directly regulates production, but China and oil-producing countries oppose this, advocating instead for increasing recycling rates. As a result, there is widespread concern that it will be difficult to create a binding treaty within the deadline.

Chairperson Balvidieso stated, "We will provide the text to end plastic pollution," adding, "This will be a living document that must be continuously strengthened going forward." He continued, "We need various scientific evidence and potential solutions and opinions from academia," but also mentioned, "We will gather more information to incorporate more data and solutions."

He also pointed out, "This meeting is the most important for us to end plastic pollution, which is our greatest environmental crisis," emphasizing that "(Plastic pollution) is not limited to environmental issues; due to marine pollution, it causes a global economic loss of 2.5 trillion dollars."