From Design to Leakage: What Articles 5–7 Mean for a Circular Plastics Economy | Part 3

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Imagine a world where we stop plastic pollution before it starts. As negotiations are underway for INC-5.2 the UN Plastics Treaty’s upstream provisions are receiving attention, specifically, Articles 5, 6, and 7, which reflect a clear pivot toward prevention through better product design, smarter production, and leakage control. Five authors of this blog are currently attending the session in Geneva as official observers.

Together, we bring expertise from toxicology, circular economy interventions, sustainable product and packaging design, and infrastructure and international implementation. Building on RTI’s extensive work in plastic pollution, we’re eager to engage with partners who share the goal of a safer, more circular plastics economy.

How the Plastics Treaty Articles 5-7 Encourage a Circular Plastics Economy

Article 5 focuses on improving the design and performance of plastic products to support circular economy outcomes. The draft text outlines goals such as increasing durability, reusability, refillability, repairability, refurbishability, and recyclability. It also emphasizes minimizing the use of hazardous chemicals and the unintentional release of microplastics.

Plastics Treaty Article 5

In addition to performance-based goals, Article 5 encourages countries to support innovation in plastic product design, apply life-cycle assessment tools, and incorporate traditional and Indigenous knowledge in identifying sustainable alternatives. If adopted, this article would push policy intervention closer to the design and manufacturing phase, shifting the burden away from downstream waste management and toward creating smarter, safer, and more circular products.

Plastics Treaty Article 6

Article 6 addresses the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers. The current text proposes the need to develop a global, aspirational target to reduce polymer consumption. It includes provisions for tracking and reporting production, import, and export volumes, along with a five-year review mechanism. Countries hold varying views on the scope and ambition of this article; while some support quantitative caps on virgin plastic production, others prefer more flexible, nationally determined approaches. Article 6 signals growing international momentum to address plastic flows at the source, rather than focus solely on downstream leakage and cleanup. 

Plastics Treaty Article 7

Article 7, which we also cover in Blog 2, addresses plastic leakage into the environment, including both macro- and microplastics. It calls for measures to prevent, reduce, and eliminate releases, especially those related to microplastics intentionally added to products or generated during degradation, pre-production materials such as pellets and powders, and lost or abandoned fishing gear. The article promotes improved containment, monitoring, and response strategies across sectors, such as agriculture and aquaculture.      

It also encourages collaboration on research and development of affordable technologies and best practices for preventing leakage, with attention to the varying capacities and contexts of different countries. Importantly, it calls for international cooperation on research and knowledge sharing, including the development and dissemination of affordable, accessible technologies. This emphasis on “best available and affordable” practices reflects an effort to ensure that treaty implementation is responsive to diverse country contexts particularly those in low-income or small island states, where infrastructure gaps and resource constraints are significant.

Addressing Plastics Pollution at the Source

Together, Articles 5–7 represent the treaty’s effort to reduce plastic pollution at the source. These provisions will play a critical role in shaping how countries approach product design, raw material management, and leakage prevention while also encouraging the research, innovation, and collaboration needed to develop and scale more sustainable alternatives.

How Governments and Business Can Take Action for a Circular Plastics Economy

Governments' Role in Shaping Responsible Plastic Product Design

Governments can take a more active role in shaping product design standards while also addressing the use of hazardous chemicals and microplastics.

In line with Article 6, regulatory agencies may be tasked with tracking the production, import, and export of primary plastic polymers, supported by systems for standardized data collection and reporting. Article 7 will require governments to strengthen enforcement and monitoring mechanisms to prevent plastic leakage particularly in high-risk sectors such as agriculture, fishing, and industrial manufacturing. This could include gear tracking systems, requirements for non-plastic or sustainable fishing gear, and improved recovery and reporting measures to prevent marine pollution.

Across all three articles, implementation hinges on investing in research, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration to support the development and adoption of practical, scalable solutions for a circular plastics economy.

Private Sector and the Plastic Product Lifecycle

For manufacturers, brands, and suppliers, Articles 5 through 7 reflect a growing expectation that companies take greater responsibility for the full lifecycle of their plastic products. These expectations will require rethinking packaging formats, material inputs, and product delivery systems across multiple industries.

Article 6, if adopted, may go beyond reporting obligations to include global or national caps on the production and consumption of virgin plastic polymers. Such measures would have far-reaching implications for producers, likely requiring a shift away from volume-driven models toward more resource-efficient, reuse-oriented approaches. Companies may need to invest in new materials, reconfigure supply chains, and design business models that are viable under constrained plastic production scenarios. 

Article 7 could change the landscape for fishing by mandating non-plastic or more sustainable alternatives and strengthening recovery and reporting measures to curb marine pollution and enhancing enforcement to reduce marine pollution. This implementation will have significant implications, especially for the nearly 500 million small-scale fisheries key contributors to global aquaculture supply chains. These fisheries are often positioned at the crossroads of environmental concern and limited capacity, frequently associated with abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear despite lacking viable alternatives. If not accompanied by financial and technical support, such changes could create unintended consequences especially in places with limited access to alternative materials, waste services, or gear-retrieval programs.  

Five Actions to Consider Now to Create a Circular Plastics Economy

1. Map Plastic Product Flows and Design Performance
   Governments and businesses can begin by mapping the life cycle of plastic products, what’s manufactured, imported, used, and discarded. This includes analyzing key design attributes such as durability, repairability, and recyclability to inform new product standards, redesign priorities, and policy interventions. Integrated modeling tools like RTI’s Net-Zero Planner can support this process by quantifying material flows, assessing trade-offs, and identifying high-impact opportunities.
2. Redesign High-Risk Products and Formulations
   Governments should engage local innovators and manufacturers to assess redesign feasibility. Commercial entities must identify products likely to be restricted such as those containing hazardous additives or lacking end-of-life options and invest in alternatives. This may require rethinking how product development is entirely done today, to account for our deeper understanding of unintended environmental and human health consequences.
3. Rethink Production Models for a Post-Virgin Plastic Future
   Governments and companies can reimagine production models that prioritize circularity, including the use of recycled content, reuse systems, and local material loops. This shift will require investment in R&D, supply chain localization, feedstock quality improvement, and new business models.      
4. Improve Monitoring, Reporting, and Spill Prevention Systems
   Governments can upgrade digital infrastructure to support robust monitoring, reporting, and enforcement systems. Businesses can prepare for increased transparency, new compliance obligations, including material disclosure, traceability, and spill prevention across supply chains. Proactive alignment with these requirements will be essential to avoid penalties, reputational risks, and market access barriers.      
5. Prevent Unintended Consequences in Vulnerable Sectors
   Small-scale fishers, farmers, and informal workers may face disproportionate impacts from new treaty requirements. Governments and companies must work together to ensure these groups are supported in adopting new gear technologies, containment systems, or reporting protocols. This includes capacity building, financing mechanisms, and inclusive policy design. RTI has supported technology transfer, behavior change interventions, and inclusive innovation pilots across low- and middle-income countries to minimize unintended consequences during transitional periods.

The Impact of UN Plastics Treaty Articles 5-7 on a Circular Plastics Economy

Taken together, Articles 5–7 signal a shift away from end-of-life management toward preventing plastic pollution through improved product design, more sustainable production practices, and strengthened leakage controls.

RTI brings the technical expertise, policy insight, and cross-sector networks to support both governments and businesses in translating treaty provisions into practical, measurable outcomes. Whether you're a policymaker, industry leader, or implementation partner, this moment requires strategic preparation and collaboration.      

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