Newsroom

Newsroom

Plastic Money: Turning Off the Subsidies Tap (Phase 3 – Briefing Note for INC 5.2)

7th August 2025

This briefing note by the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) and Eunomia Research & Consulting presents the preliminary findings from the third phase of our “Plastic Money” initiative. Released in August 2025 to coincide with the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) on Plastic Pollution, this work continues our effort to bring clarity and evidence to the global discourse on plastic subsidies.

Building on the insights and modelling from Phase 1 and Phase 2, this latest study expands the scope of analysis to include not only feedstock and energy subsidies but also a wider range of government support measures. These include capital investment grants, in-kind benefits, tax expenditures, and various forms of below-market financing. The study provides updated global estimates for such subsidies and models the environmental and economic implications of their removal.

As governments work toward a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty, the role of public financial flows—including subsidies to the production of primary plastic polymers (PPP)—has come under increasing scrutiny. Subsidies reduce production costs, incentivise new investment, and help make virgin fossil-based polymers more competitive than recycled plastics and competing alternative or substitute materials. In doing so, they reinforce a linear and extractive economic model and undercut efforts to transition into more sustainable and just patterns of production and consumption.

Key findings of the report include:

  • Estimated total global subsidies to PPP in 2024 exceed USD 80 billion, and could rise to USD 150 billion by 2050 under a business-as-usual scenario.
  • The removal of all estimated subsidies would result in a significant decrease in polymer production, particularly in economies that provide the largest levels of support.
  • The impact on consumer product prices would be minimal, with average price increases below 1% for most plastic-containing consumer goods.

The overall aim of this project is to provide policymakers and negotiators with illustrative data to support decision-making on subsidy reform within the INC process. It builds on a foundation of country-level research, international databases, and economic modeling.

Acknowledgments: This third phase of the initiative has been supported by a grant from the Minderoo Foundation, whose contribution and collaboration are gratefully acknowledged. The findings and conclusions expressed in the report remain those of the authors.

You can find the full Phase 3 briefing note attached below.
 

Areas of work: Sustainable & Just Economic Systems

Explore more

A Call for Climate Action: Protect Human Rights and Decrease Military Expending

A Call for Climate Action: Protect Human Rights and Decrease Military Expending

HICC at the Human Rights Council QUNO participated in the climate and environmental discussions held in the 60th session Human Rights Council in Geneva. Through its Human Impacts of Climate Change (HICC) programme, QUNO delivered an oral statement on the critical role of human rights in climate action. Additionally, HICC contributed to a discussion on how military activities undermine the right to a healthy environment through their toxic and hazardous impacts.  Lindsey Fielder Cook, HICC’s Representative, served as a panelist in the side event The Toxic Impact of Military Activities alongside the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights, and representatives from Earthjustice, the Center for Global Nonkilling, and Dejusticia. The event discussed the findings and implications of the Special Rapporteur’s recent report on the human rights impacts of hazardous substances and waste resulting from military operations. Building on the Quakers Peace Testimony, QUNO emphasized that war is an abomination of human rights and highlighted how this report proves that military activities harm human beings and earth far beyond wartimes. Lindsey also underscored that military activities are responsible for nearly 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, countries are not required to report these emissions into their National Determined […]

‘Deadlock of Imagination’: QUNO Invites Reflection on Approaches to Sustainable Energy Transformation at the Forum on Democracy and Climate Change

‘Deadlock of Imagination’: QUNO Invites Reflection on Approaches to Sustainable Energy Transformation at the Forum on Democracy and Climate Change

Lindsey Fielder Cook, QUNO’s Representative on the Human Impacts of Climate Change, pointed out clear pathways and criteria to achieve sustainable and equitable energy access at the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. In its 5th session, the Forum addressed the theme: “Democracy and Climate Change: Focusing on Solutions”, held in Geneva on the 13th and 14th of October.  Her contribution can be watched here. Joining the panel on “Interconnected Solutions to Interconnected Problems”, Lindsey emphasized that democracies prioritizing the question, “Is this best for society?” rather than “Is this best for the economy?”, are more likely to deliver a sustainable energy transition experienced as fair and effective.  In addition, energy transitions that integrate human rights-based approaches are less likely to face societal backlash. Lindsey advised asking the following questions when evaluating sustainable energy policies: Lindsey invoked the words of recently released from prison Egyptian/British human rights voice,  Alaa Abd el-Fattah, to highlight a divide in global energy transition dynamics, suggesting that we are facing a “deadlock of imagination” in the Global North and a “deadlock of possibility” in the Global South.Other panelists provided clear examples and best practices on rights-based solutions in the sectors of […]

At the Human Rights Council: Renewed Calls for Independent Human Rights Monitoring at International Borders

At the Human Rights Council: Renewed Calls for Independent Human Rights Monitoring at International Borders

At the 60th session of the Human Rights Council, attention turned once again to the urgent need for stronger human rights monitoring in migration governance. On 25 September 2025, QUNO co-hosted a side event to launch the new report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on human rights monitoring in the context of migration and build on previous side events on this topic. Opening the discussion, Peggy Hicks (OHCHR) underlined the urgency of collective action: “We must do more, and we must do it together.” The OHCHR report on human rights monitoring highlights how migrants face serious protection gaps at borders, including pushbacks, arbitrary detention, profiling and violence. A proactive monitoring process of collecting, verifying, and analyzing information to identify and prevent human rights violations in migration are needed to prevent these violations, strengthen accountability, and uphold States’ obligations to protect the rights of all people on the move. The report makes clear that monitoring is not an end in itself. Its ultimate purpose is to document violations, identify patterns and causes, and drive systemic change. Yet access barriers, lack of independence, and insufficient resources continue to hinder effective oversight. The report’s final recommendation […]

Safeguarding Conscientious Objectors Amid Rising Militarization

Safeguarding Conscientious Objectors Amid Rising Militarization

In a world of accelerating militarization, the act of refusing to fight is bold and powerful. States justify mass conscription in the name of security and those who object are portrayed as traitors. Yet international law is clear: conscientious objection to military service is a protected human right. It is inherent in freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, enshrined in Article 18 of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. No derogation[BM1]  (without an exception) is permitted; not in wartime, mobilization, or national emergency. Despite this clarity, violations remain widespread. Conscientious objectors are imprisoned, denied education and employment, and cut off from basic civil and social rights. At a recent Human Rights Council side event, objectors shared testimonies exposing the personal cost of standing against militarization. Their stories are not isolated, but evidence of systemic disregard for binding obligations. Rachel Brett on behalf of QUNO set out the relevant international law and stressed the importance of ensuring that this is respected in practice (full text below). She highlighted that access to recognition as conscientious objectors is especially critical during wartime, when normal provisions for release from military service are often suspended. […]

Inclusive Dialogue on Migration: Preparing for the IMRF through Connection and Collaboration

Inclusive Dialogue on Migration: Preparing for the IMRF through Connection and Collaboration

The Inclusive Dialogue on Migration was created to build understanding between States, migrants, and migrant-led organizations, and to strengthen cooperation in the governance of migration. At its heart lies a simple idea: meaningful dialogue can open the way for more inclusive, humane, and effective migration policy. The Inclusive Dialogue on Migration is not a conference series but a continuing process; a space intentionally designed to bring together those who shape migration policy and those who live its realities. It aims to level the field for dialogue, allowing diplomats, migrants, and migrant-led organizations to exchange perspectives as equals. Most recently, participants gathered in person in Geneva and online as part of the 2025 series. This event provided an opportunity to reflect collectively on shared priorities, explore how inclusion can be strengthened in global migration processes, and identify concrete ways to collaborate in the lead-up to the International Migration Review Forum, IMRF. At its core, the Dialogue seeks to strengthen understanding and trust, and to explore how inclusive participation can make migration governance more effective, fair, and grounded in human experience. Through open and respectful conversation, participants identify shared challenges and opportunities for collaboration, guided by the belief that migration policies work […]

Building the New Myanmar – QUNO hosts a public event with Myanmar’s National Unity Government

Building the New Myanmar – QUNO hosts a public event with Myanmar’s National Unity Government

When the UN General Assembly opens each September, all UN member states are invited to address the world body. For the past three years, this has not been true for Myanmar. Following the February 2021 military coup, no statement has been delivered on behalf of Myanmar because national leadership remains contested between the military and the people’s movement that opposes the military’s takeover. Each side claims to represent the people of Myanmar. On October 2, QUNO co-hosted a panel event with representatives of Myanmar’s opposition movement. Under the title, Building the New Myanmar: Democracy, Justice, and Peace for the People of Myanmar, the panel presentation provided an opportunity for UN diplomats, UN staff, and civil society partners to hear directly from representatives of Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG) and its National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC). Moderated by QUNO Director Sarah Clarke, the panel included Zin Mar Aung, Foreign Minister; Aung Kyaw Moe, Deputy Minister for Human Rights for the NUG; plus Z Nang Raw, a civil society representative to the NUCC. Speaking to a crowd of over 50 guests, Sarah introduced the panel, noting, “The diversity of this panel reflects the diversity of Myanmar itself. Myanmar’s diversity is one of […]