Philip Dunne MP has praised the UK government for working with international partners to secure a breakthrough on negotiations to kickstart a new legally binding treaty on plastic pollution.

At the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) in Nairobi, the UK provided support to commence negotiations on a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. While the terms of the treaty are still to be negotiated, it could include measures that promote sustainable production and consumption of plastics, as well as more environmentally sound waste management.

It is also hoped it will help tackle marine plastic pollution, one of the greatest global environmental challenges.

The agreement was welcomed by campaign group Surfers Against Sewage, who referred to the agreement as “the most important international environment pact since the Paris climate agreement in 2015”.

Mr Dunne, who has campaigned to prevent plastic ending up in rivers and oceans, said:

“Plastic pollution is having a devastating impact on marine life in our oceans, rivers and waterways – but predictions show without action now it will more than double by 2040. So I commend the UK government for showing international leadership in co-sponsoring these proposals and helping get them over the line.

“The devil will of course be in the detail. But that this agreement has been so widely welcomed by all of us who care about cutting plastic pollution is testament to the seismic shift this agreement has the potential to deliver. I look forward to seeing how it develops.”

While there are multilateral agreements to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change, up to now there has been no equivalent agreement to tackle plastic pollution.

The resolution titled “End plastic pollution: towards a legally binding international instrument” establishes an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) tasked with preparing a new treaty that would address plastic pollution through a life-cycle approach, with the aim of producing the treaty by 2024.