As INC-5.2 approaches, we take a closer look at one of the most talked-about ideas in the global plastic treaty negotiations: a primary plastic polymer fee.
What is it, how would it work, and why does it matter? In this special extended episode of the Reloop Brief, host Barry Snedden speaks with Hugo Schally, retired European Commission official and former lead EU negotiator on plastics, Oliver Boachie, former special advisor to Ghana’s Ministry of Environment and lead negotiator for the African group, and Clarissa Morawski, Reloop’s CEO and co-founder.
Together, they explore how a small upstream fee could deliver major financing for solutions to plastic pollution, especially in the Global South. They also reflect on political tensions between countries pushing for upstream action (like production caps and chemical regulation) and those preferring to focus on downstream waste management. Clarissa Morawski reiterates the urgency of action and how even a modest plastics treaty could still empower national-level ambition.
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