[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 893 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 893

  Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the Intergovernmental 
    Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution's development of an 
 international binding agreement, which is expected to be completed at 
    its Fifth Session in Busan, Republic of Korea in December 2024.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 13, 2024

 Mr. Cardin submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the Intergovernmental 
    Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution's development of an 
 international binding agreement, which is expected to be completed at 
    its Fifth Session in Busan, Republic of Korea in December 2024.

Whereas the production of plastic polymers releases pollutants that degrade air 
        quality, water quality, and soil health and contribute to increased 
        health and environmental risks to nearby communities, biodiversity, and 
        the wider environment;
Whereas the chemical makeup of plastics mostly consists of extracted 
        hydrocarbons and synthetic chemicals that are processed to form 
        polymers, which enables plastic materials to be easily molded and shaped 
        when heat and pressure is applied;
Whereas plastic materials and products have unique, versatile, and convenient 
        applications, but plastic polymers, chemicals, and waste products are 
        extremely harmful when leaked into the natural environment, including 
        marine environments;
Whereas discarded plastic waste materials, particularly plastic products 
        designed or applied as single-use or disposable, which are most commonly 
        used in packaging, utensils, flatware, beverage and other liquid 
        containers, and plastic film, are ubiquitous and are products that 
        comprise the highest volumes of plastic pollution in the environment;
Whereas plastic pollution occurs when--

    (1) plastic is deposited intentionally or unintentionally into the 
environment;

    (2) plastic particles are shed from plastic products during production 
or use;

    (3) plastic fibers are released during the routine washing of synthetic 
textiles;

    (4) waste and discarded plastic products escape from waste management 
streams and wastewater treatment systems;

    (5) plastic is mishandled or is littered into the environment; and

    (6) there is inadequate mitigation and management of emissions, 
polymers, and byproducts from plastic chemical refining, manufacturing, and 
transport processes;

Whereas less than 9 percent of plastics discarded in the United States is 
        recycled;
Whereas, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, 430,000,000 
        metric tons of plastic are produced annually worldwide;
Whereas plastic breaks down into microplastics that--

    (1) become ubiquitous in the environment;

    (2) are easily ingestible by marine life where plastic enters the food 
web;

    (3) are increasingly found in ambient air, drinking water supplies, 
food crops, and animal proteins;

    (4) can persist for centuries; and

    (5) can be inhaled or ingested by humans;

Whereas the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals estimate that between 
        19,000,000 and 23,000,000 tons of plastic annually leaks into aquatic 
        ecosystems, such as lakes, rivers, and seas;
Whereas a 2021 National Academies of Sciences study found that the United States 
        annually contributes between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 metric tons of 
        plastic pollution into the environment;
Whereas abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (also known as 
        `ghost gear') is a deadly form of pollution to marine species in our 
        ocean, and is often made of plastics;
Whereas plastic pollutants, including microplastics, pose significant threat to 
        human health, including fetal development, endocrine disruption, liver 
        and kidney disease, and brain and neural development, through--

    (1) inhalation, dermal exposure, and ingestion of contaminated food or 
beverages; and

    (2) the use of degrading plastic containers, utensils, and flatware;

Whereas inland waterways and coastal communities that are dependent on healthy 
        fisheries, safe and hazard free maritime channels, tourism, secure 
        property values, and safe recreation, are negatively affected by plastic 
        pollution and marine debris, which impairs economic growth and economic 
        opportunity;
Whereas achieving circularity in the full lifecycle of polymer production, 
        plastic product manufacturing, and the handling, processing, recycling, 
        and disposal of post-consumer plastic waste through sustainable 
        recycling processes in which plastic materials are manufactured to be 
        durable, repairable, reusable and fully and safely recyclable, would 
        significantly reduce the negative impacts of plastic;
Whereas the accumulation of marine debris and plastic pollution in the oceans--

    (1) are navigational hazards;

    (2) cause significant damage to vessels; and

    (3) disrupt maritime transportation;

Whereas least developed countries face considerable waste management capacity 
        constraints due, in part, to exports of plastic and plastic waste from 
        other countries, inadequate infrastructure, collection costs, and the 
        lack of a responsible end-market for recovered and recycled plastics, 
        all of which weaken such countries' ability to responsibly manage 
        plastic waste;
Whereas existing plastic substitutes, such as bamboo, natural fibers, aluminum, 
        paper, and wax, could cut plastic waste by 17 percent by 2040;
Whereas 96 countries have enacted more than 225 national laws to address plastic 
        pollution and marine debris;
Whereas in 2023, the United States Agency for International Development 
        estimated that its Save Our Seas initiative has prevented the equivalent 
        of nearly 8,000,000,000 plastic bottles (or more than 73,500 metric 
        tons) from polluting the environment though its work in Peru, the 
        Dominican Republic, Kenya, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the 
        Philippines, Fiji, Micronesia, and Papua New Guinea;
Whereas several States and municipalities in the United States have imposed a 
        variety of localized measures to curb single-use plastics, including--

    (1) bans or taxes on single-use shopping bags;

    (2) bans on plastic straws and plastic utensils provided at restaurants 
and grocery stores;

    (3) restrictions on the use of non-recyclable plastic in single-use 
applications;

    (4) support for reusable infrastructure, such as dine-in establishments 
or water-refill stations;

    (5) zero-waste targets and plans, including reduction requirements for 
single-use plastics;

    (6) requirements for plastic product redesign, including for reuse and 
recycling; and

    (7) extended producer responsibility requirements for producers of 
single-use plastics;

Whereas best available science, including the latest modeling, points to plastic 
        reduction, is essential to ending plastic pollution;
Whereas the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, 
        operating under the framework of the United Nations Environment 
        Programme and tasked with developing an international legally binding 
        instrument on plastic pollution, consists of several groups of 
        countries, including--

    (1) the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Production, which is a 
group of 65 countries, co-chaired by Norway and Rwanda, which supports an 
agreement aimed at ending plastic pollution by 2040 by--

    G    (A) restraining global plastic consumption and production;

    G    (B) developing a circular economy for plastics that protects the 
environment and human's health; and

    G    (C) environmentally sound management and recycling of plastic 
waste; and

    (2) the Like-Minded Countries Group, led by Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, 
and other oil producing countries, which supports a more limited agreement 
focusing on--

    G    (A) improvements to recycling and waste management systems; and

    G    (B) allowing countries to determine their own targets for plastic 
pollution reduction;

Whereas the draft agreement text proposes articles addressing the full lifecycle 
        of plastics, including microplastics and nanoplastics, and extended 
        producer responsibility;
Whereas the United States submission at the Fourth Session of the 
        Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution called for 
        an agreement that--

    

    G    (A) addresses plastic's harm to human health and the environment, 
including marine environment;

    G    (B) incrementally reduces the demand for plastics;

    G    (C) creates environmentally sound waste management practices;

    G    (D) supports research into alternative plastic products and 
plastic substitutes; and

    G    (E) establishes an international governing body;

Whereas the Parties have considerable work to do before reaching an agreement on 
        comprehensive and impactful provisions that address--

    (1) the lifecycle of plastic pollution;

    (2) the effects of plastic pollution on human health, particularly 
vulnerable communities proximate to the sources of plastic pollution; and

    (3) the development of science-based targets and timelines for ending 
plastic pollution;

Whereas the United States has a responsibility to play an important leadership 
        role in the negotiations to convene parties and build consensus towards 
        an effective new binding international agreement regarding plastic 
        pollution; and
Whereas the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on 
        Plastic Pollution will focus on refining and seeking consensus on the 
        text for the adoption of a new comprehensive internationally legally 
        binding agreement to address plastic pollution:
Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the United States 
must--
            (1) work towards the achievement of a new international 
        agreement to address plastic pollution that--
                    (A) protects human health and the environment; and
                    (B) mitigates the risks plastic pollution has on 
                global economic activity and public safety;
            (2) continue to play a critical leadership role in 
        developing an ambitious international agreement that seeks to 
        end plastic pollution consistent with United Nations Resolution 
        5/14;
            (3) advance outcomes and objectives in the negotiations 
        that clearly support the economic, diplomatic, technological 
        advantage, public health, safety, and security interests of the 
        United States;
            (4) seek to build consensus among stakeholders, while 
        encouraging civil society representatives, labor, scientific 
        subject matter experts, and impacted commercial and industrial 
        sectors to cooperate towards achieving the most ambitious 
        agreement possible with respect to reducing plastic pollution;
            (5) help convene and facilitate, whenever appropriate, 
        discussions within the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee 
        on Plastic Pollution to bring the international community 
        towards a unified and comprehensive international agreement;
            (6) oppose certain parties' efforts to delay progress 
        towards such an agreement;
            (7) ensure that all countries realize a shared 
        responsibility to address global plastic pollution;
            (8) consider pursuing an initial agreement that takes a 
        ``Start and Strengthen'' approach to addressing plastic 
        pollution by identifying critical policy areas for phasing down 
        and phasing out plastic pollution, with the clear intention to 
        strengthen and increase the ambition of the agreement over 
        time;
            (9) work to ensure that the obligations, goals, targets, 
        and preferred approaches described in the final agreement to 
        reduce plastic pollution are supported by the best available 
        science, which should also determine the scope and scale of 
        global plastic pollution that the agreement will aim to solve;
            (10) insist that the new binding international agreement 
        applies obligations to all parties and provides parties 
        sufficient flexibility to determine their own policies and 
        measures to address their contributions of plastic pollution, 
        including microplastics, into the environment;
            (11) work to ensure that the financial mechanism has an 
        expanded donor base that--
                    (A) reflects current economic realities; and
                    (B) prioritizes support for countries with limited 
                technical and financial capacity to implement the 
                agreement; and
            (12) prioritize the inclusion of strong transparency and 
        accountability procedures and mechanisms that will ensure the 
        effectiveness of actions taken by each party to the agreement.
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