The Second Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-2), will take place in May 2023 in Paris, France.

This meeting is held pursuant to the resolution adopted by the resumed fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), which requests the Executive Director of UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to convene an INC to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.

As an accredited organisation to UNEP and UNEA, China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) will send a delegation to Paris to join the INC-2.

Source: UNEP

As a leading environmental organization in China, CBCGDF is actively engaged in efforts to “Reduce & Pick-up Plastics” in response to the environmental challenges posed by plastic pollution.

CBCGDF has established a “Reduce & Pick-up Plastics Working Group” to address plastic pollution, and is actively working to raise public awareness of plastic reduction. The Beijing-based organization has guided a grassroot NGO to file a legal action against a bunch of meal-takeaway companies, whose irresponsible behavior has resulted in significant unnecessary waste of disposable utensils and plastic pollution. Additionally, CBCGDF has been calling on the general public to join the “Reduce & Pick-up Plastics” movement, releasing China’s first National Group Standard called “Green Meeting Index” (GMI), promoting “Green Consumption Rights”, successfully pushing takeaway platforms to add the option of “no disposable utensils” by allowing consumers to choose “no-utensils” instead of giving lots of utensils as default.

CBCGDF also filed a famous Environmental Public Interest Litigation (EPIL) against a mooncake manufacturer for its excessive packaging, which led to the revision of China’s relevant national standards on packaging.

CBCGDF believes that the aesthetic views need to change in the era of ecological civilization, and people’s way of living and understanding of “beauty” need to shift towards cherishing nature. That’s why the organisation advocates against the use of plastic flowers as a normal way of street decoration.

In addition, CBCGDF has spearheaded a shift away from promoting plastic in China’s education system. For more than a decade, primary and secondary schools across the country had required students to wrap new books in plastic covers to protect them from wear and tear. CBCGDF strongly opposes this practice and has successfully convinced the Chinese Ministry of Education, along with three other departments, to collaborate on the “Plastic-free Back-to-School Season” policy. This policy stipulates that primary and secondary schools must not compel students to use plastic book covers. With 150 million primary and secondary school students in China (according to data in 2021), CBCGDF’s efforts have had an enormous impact.

CBCGDF has also conducted long-term research on disposable plastic bottled water and has successfully pushed for the “Bottle-Free Initiative” in Beijing, Tianjin and other areas, calling for a reduction in the consumption and waste of disposable plastic bottled water.

Author: Linda

Checked by Victoria

Editor: Victoria

Contact: V10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776

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