06/05/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/05/2025 13:42
05/06/2025
Thank you, Mr Chair. I wish to thank the Permanent Mission of Republic of Korea and UN Environment Programme for organizing the event today and for their leadership on this issue.
Plastic pollution is a pressing threat to our global agrifood systems. In agriculture alone, an estimated 12.5 million tonnes of plastics are used annually for production, and 37 million tonnes are used for food packaging.
While plastics have helped increase yields, reduce food loss, and improve efficiency, when not properly managed and/or disposed of, they raise serious concerns for food safety, soil and water health, and overall agrifood systems.
Agricultural plastics are increasingly recognized as a cross-sectoral issue, with impacts spanning environmental, plant, animal, and human health. And as noted by IUCN, solutions must also be holistic across sectors.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports efforts to beat plastic pollution through targeted, science-based solutions. At the request of its Members, FAO developed and published the Provisional Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Sustainable Use and Management of Plastics in Agriculture earlier this year. This Code offers concrete guidance to reduce, redesign, reuse, and ultimately replace harmful plastics in agrifood systems.
Among some projects that promote sustainable agricultural practices, FAO's Financing Agrochemical Reduction and Management (FARM) programme and the GEF Supply Chains Integrated Programme aim to reduce the use of harmful plastics and agrochemicals in agriculture and promote sustainable alternatives.
FAO is also involved with IMO in the OceanLitter Programme, which includes implementation of the GloLitter Partnerships project and RegLitter project, to support developing countries reduce marine plastic litter from the shipping and fisheries sectors by enhancing legal frameworks, capacity development, plastic waste management in ports, women's empowerment in marine litter management and collaboration with small-scale fishers. This initiative aligns with FAO's Blue Transformation Roadmap to promote sustainable fisheries, protect marine biodiversity, and support coastal livelihoods.
We are actively engaged in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, and support a treaty that addresses the full life cycle of plastics where sector-specific needs for agriculture, including fisheries and aquaculture, should be taken into account.
On this World Environment Day, FAO reaffirms its commitment to supporting Members with evidence, policy tools, and innovation to improve food security and nutrition while also protecting ecosystems and preventing plastic pollution to advance sustainable development. Thank you.