A growing number of countries are implementing policies to better regulate international trade in plastic waste and an array of plastic products and inputs, but a critical missing piece is reliable and disaggregated data on cross-border trade flows across the life cycle of plastics.
The policy brief aims to support dialogue on how international cooperation on trade policies could support efforts to tackle plastic pollution. It identifies gaps and challenges in the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) that are relevant to efforts to tackle plastic pollution. It then puts forward options for amending the HS that would facilitate monitoring and regulation of trade flows across the life cycle of plastics.
Drawing from the wide range of potential HS amendment options identified, the authors recommend a subset of options that could be pursued in the current 2022-2027 HS amendment cycle.