Campaigns such as this one can play an important role in mobilising global awareness and further international cooperation to address the growing waste problem worldwide, which originates from our current non-sustainable consumption patterns.

Each year, the average European produces five ton of waste of which only 38% is recycled. In some European countries, over 60% of household waste still goes to landfill. Unfortunately, this situation is not better in other parts of the world, on the contrary.

The most important message is of course that the best waste is the waste that is not created;therefore, the top priority in waste policy and legislation should be given to preventing waste from being created in the first place.

The importance of reducing waste generation is enshrined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. SDG12 that stressed the need of ‘ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns’ includes a target 12.1 to, by 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. Furthermore, target 12.1, aims to ensure that, by 2030, we halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.

Firstly, within the EU, we are strongly committed to reducing waste generation. With the European Green Deal and the new Circular Economy Action Plan, the EuropeanCommission defined an ambitious agenda to put the EU economy on a circular path. EU waste laws have driven major improvements in waste management, however, they need to be modernised on an ongoing basis in order to meet today’s challenges.

The ‘waste hierarchy’ is the pillar of EU waste management policy and legislation as a priority order in waste prevention and management legislation and policy. Already since the end of 2013, Member States have to have dedicated Waste Prevention Programmes in place and in 2019 the Single Use Plastics Directive was adopted with the aim of preventing and reducing the impact of a certain single-use plastic products on the environment, giving special attention to the marine environment.  

All recent and upcoming revisions of EU legislation, such as that on food waste, packaging, and end-of-life vehicles focus on preventing waste from being created in the first place.

In this context, I would like to highlight a number of recent EU initiatives that should contribute to achieving this goal.

• • Firstly, on 5 July 2023, the European Commission tabled a proposed a targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive. As regards food waste reduction targets, the proposal requires EU Member States to take the necessary measures to reduce food waste by the end of 2030:
• • • by 10%, in processing and manufacturing,
    • by 30% (per capita), jointly at retail and consumption (restaurants, food services and households).
• • Secondly, EU co-legislators recently reached a provisional agreement on new rules on packaging and packaging waste.
• • • According to estimations, without action, the EU would see a further 19% increase in packaging waste by 2030 compared to 2018; for plastic packaging waste this would even be an increase of 46%, and 86% by 2040. To address the continuous and unsustainable growth of packaging waste this initiative aims to reduce packaging waste in quantity, to restrict unnecessary packaging and to promote reusable packaging solutions.
• • Lastly, EU co-legislators recently agreed on new rules on waste shipments. The new Regulation sets out new requirements for the export of waste outside the EU, designed to ensure that waste only gets shipped outside the EU if there is sufficient guarantee that the waste will be treated in a sustainable manner in the countries of destination. Specific attention is reserved for plastic waste, which is a particularly challenging waste type. Within 2 1/2 years, no more exports of plastic waste will be allowed from the EU to non-OECD countries.

The general aim of the EU waste policy is to protect the environment and public health and help the EU’s transition to a circular economy. It sets objectives and targets to improve waste management, stimulate innovation in recycling and limit landfilling

Secondly, the EU is also fully committed to mainstreaming environmental and climate change concerns into its international cooperation and development efforts, aligning with the SDGs.

With plastic production forecasted to triple by 2060 an International Plastics Treaty - as the one being negotiated under the auspices of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) - is essential, it is our chance to stop plastic pollution by introducing global rules throughout the entire plastics life cycle. The EU is committed tocomplete the negotiations by the end of this year, as planned.

However, the EU is already very committed through initiatives like the Global Gateway flagship initiative ‘SWITCH to Green’ and regional programs in Asia, Africa, and the Mediterranean, the EU is actively supporting partner countries in transitioning to sustainable consumption and production, particularly focusing on circular economy principles.

The EU's funding of approximately 20 million euros in the 'Switch to Circular Economy Value Chains' program, implemented by UNIDO, demonstrates its dedication to assisting enterprises in adopting circular economy practices, thereby contributing to several sustainable development goals, including decent work, economic growth, inclusive industrialization, responsible consumption and production, and climate action.

The Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE), spearheaded by the EU and UNIDO, with support from the United Nations Environment Programme, is a crucial initiative aimed at fostering international collaboration to address plastic pollution, including in marine environments. This initiative, funded by the EU and Norway, is a testament to the EU's commitment to advancing the circular economy agenda globally. It one of the deliverables of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan adopted by the European Commission in March 2020 in line with the European Green Deal. Through GACERE, the EU supports the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC) in its efforts to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, highlighting the EU's proactive role in addressing global environmental challenges.

The EU has also build a strong partnership with UNODC to promote cooperation and partnership building in Southeast Asia to address crimes affecting the environment as well as to address waste trafficking to support a circular economy which contributes to promote good practices for the detection of waste shipments that are in violation of national and international regulations. The project “Safety across Asia For the global Environment” (SAFE) is to support the prevention of zoonotic diseases linked to wildlife trafficking.

In order to reduce waste generation and improve its management we must count on the engagement of international organisation, governments, local authorities, businesses, civil society, NGO’s and the citizens alike. In order to be successful, we should try to learn from each other!

On 28 March 2024, the Permanent Mission of Türkiye organised a panel discussion on the International Day of Zero Waste.

Opening Remarks

 H.E. Amb. Mr. Levent Eler | Permanent Representative of Türkiye to the UN and other International Organizations in Vienna

Video message on the International Day of Zero Waste and Turkish Perspectives/Projects on Advancing Zero Waste

 H. E. First Lady Emine Erdoğan/ Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change of the Republic of Türkiye

Relation b/w crime and waste, waste-trafficking, global programme against crimes that affect the environment

 Mr. Dennis Thatchaichawalit, Deputy Director-General of the UNOV, Director of Division for Management, UNODC [5 min]

 Ms. Lejda Toci, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, UNODC

EU Policy and Programmes Towards Advancing the Zero Waste Target

 H.E. Amb. Carl Hallergård EU Ambassador to the UN in Vienna

Zero Waste from the Perspective of Food Security

H.E. Amb Magdi Ahmed Mofadal Elnour, Permanent Representative of Sudan to the UN and other International Organizations in Vienna

Closing

H.E. Amb. Mr. Levent Eler | Permanent Representative of Türkiye to the UN and other International Organizations in Vienna