Nordic Ministerial Declaration on the Call for a High Level of Ambition in the Negotiations of the Global Agreement on Plastic Pollution

We, the Nordic Ministers for the Environment and Climate:

Deeply concerned about the increase in plastic pollution, and the new projections of a near doubling of mismanaged plastics and a 60 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions from plastics by 2040 without concerted global action,

Recall the Nordic Ministerial Declaration of 3 November 2021 on a global agreement on plastic pollution and ambitions for UNEA 5.2 and welcome the United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 5/14 entitled “End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument”,

Agree that the agreement should have as its ultimate objective to end plastic pollution by 2040 to protect the environment and human health from plastic pollution, and that the scope of the agreement must include the entire life cycle of plastics,

Highlight that addressing the full life cycle of plastics includes upstream measures focused on both the design and production of plastics, in addition to midstream and downstream measures,

Recognize the urgency for comprehensive globally binding rules to effectively end plastic pollution,

Express our deep concern about projections of a continued and significant scaling up of plastic production and call for provisions in the treaty to restrain and reduce global production and consumption of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels, Nordic Ministerial Declaration on the Call for a High Level of Ambition in the Negotiations of the Global Agreement on Plastic Pollution

Commit to work for binding provisions to eliminate and restrict harmful chemicals and polymers of concern in plastics and problematic plastic products as an essential contribution to SDG 12 on sustainable consumption and production and SDG 14.1 on preventing and significantly reducing marine pollution of all kinds,

Recognise the essential role of the private sector as part of the solution and call for provisions to implement the polluter pays principle through for example Extended Producer Responsibility schemes, considering different national circumstances and capabilities,

Underline the importance of ensuring an environmentally sound management of plastic waste and avoiding exports of problematic waste to other countries,

Recognise that the agreement must comprehensively address existing as well as future plastic pollution, Recall the Helsinki Declaration on Carbon Neutrality of 25 January 2019 and emphasize the links between plastic production, consumption and waste treatment and emissions of greenhouse gasses,

Stress that the agreement should follow the principle of precaution and must encompass plastic pollution in all environmental compartments, including microplastics,

Call on all Members States of the United Nations to demonstrate a high level of ambition in the upcoming meetings of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee and decide on intersessional work to progress the discussions on obligations and measures to be included in the agreement,

Further call on all Members States of the United Nations in a position to do so to mobilise resources, financial and in-kind support for the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee and commit to further doing so.

Approved by the Nordic Council of Ministers Oslo 1 November 2023

Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate, Iceland

Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway

Ingilín D. Strøm, Minister of Environment, Faroe Islands

Kai Mykkänen, Minister of Climate and the Environment, Finland

Kalistat Lund, Minister of Agriculture, Self-Sufficiency, Energy and Environment, Greenland

Magnus Heunicke, Minister of Environment, Denmark

Romina Pourmokhtari, Minister for Climate and the Environment, Sweden

Christian Wikström, Minister of Environment, Åland