India, France to engage with like-minded nations to bolster talks for legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution

India and France have stepped up their collaboration in combating climate change and in environmental protection, and announced that they will constructively engage other like-minded countries to strengthen the negotiations for an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution. After talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron here on Friday, the two countries made a joint commitment to eliminate single-use plastic products pollution, including a ban on single-use plastic products which have low utility and high littering potential.

Addressing a joint press event with Macron, Modi said climate change and environmental protection have been the common and main priority for both India and France.

“In this direction, we had already established the International Solar Alliance, which has now become a movement. We now want to work fast on the roadmap for blue economy and ocean governance,” the prime minister said.

“We will move forward on a joint initiative against single-use plastic. I welcome the long-term agreement signed between Indian Oil and French company Total for the export of LNG. This will strengthen our goals of clean energy transition,” he said.

Noting that plastic product pollution due to littered and mismanaged plastic waste is a global environmental issue that must be urgently addressed, India and France said it has adverse impacts on ecosystems in general and marine ecosystems in particular.

Single-use plastic products are defined by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) as “an umbrella term for different types of products that are typically used once before being thrown away or recycled”, which include food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups, cutlery and shopping bags. In the joint document expressing commitment to eliminate single-use plastic product pollution, the two countries said progress has been made to tackle plastic pollution at a global scale. “Noticeable actions include the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, amendments of the annexes to the Basel Convention to address the issue of transboundary movement of plastic waste, the marine litter action plans under the regional seas conventions, and the International Marine Organization (IMO) action plan for marine litter from ships,” the document noted.

The two countries said that single-use plastic products, with low utility and high littering potential, should be phased out and replaced by reusable products based on a circular economy approach.

Solutions exist and have been clearly identified and tackling this issue can bring new opportunities for innovation, competitiveness and job creation, they said.

India and France also said solutions include a ban on identified single-use plastic items where alternatives are readily available and affordable.

France and India renewed their commitment to progressively reduce and eliminate the consumption and production of certain single-use plastic products and cited several steps they have taken to reduce plastic pollution.

India and France will constructively engage other like-minded countries to strengthen the negotiations for an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, pursuant to a United Nations Environment Assembly resolution.

In their ‘Horizon 2047: 25th Anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Towards A Century of India-France’ document that was released after the talks, India and France said they are cooperating closely on the transition towards a low carbon economy, with the triple objective of meeting the growing demand for energy driven by India’s urbanisation and industrialisation, increasing energy security and achieving the SDG7 and Paris Climate Agreement objectives.

“India and France recognise that increasing the share of clean sources in the energy mix is necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement’s long-term objectives. They commit to work jointly to this end, underlining the importance of simultaneously addressing energy security issues. India and France share the conviction that sustainable solutions in the fight against climate change include the use of nuclear energy,” the document said.

The two countries also said they will offer sustainable development solutions to the countries of the Indo-Pacific region through multilateral and third-country initiatives, including the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership, International Solar Alliance and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) to protect marine and terrestrial biodiversity.