This Policy Brief aims to offer SWITCH-Asia stakeholders a concise overview of the issue of chemicals and polymers of concern in plastics. It lays out why chemicals and polymers of concern are problematic, both with regard to human health and the environment, and for the transition towards a circular economy where the harm that plastics cause is curtailed. It further highlights why existing international regulations through multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) are insufficient, and what the current state of negotiations in the INC (as of June/July 2024 intersessional period of INC-4 and INC-5) suggests for the Global Plastics Treaty. Lastly, it outlines what is known about positions of the countries in the SWITCH-Asia Region on the issue.
