Help youth activists attend last Global Plastics Treaty INC5

UPDATE 11-10-24:

WE FINALLY GOT OUR PASSES TO ATTEND INC-5 weeks after everyone else! (because of the 'no under 18s' clause at registration)

Hello – We are Ashton (14) and Zara (15), two siblings who started Hidden Plastic in 2020 by making short, informative videos about the dangers of microplastics. The videos are designed to be entertaining, as well as offering research-based facts and proposing actions that address the systemic roots of the plastic problem.

We recently attended the Global Plastics Treaty INC-4 in Ottawa, Canada, despite a restriction that barred under-18 youth from attending this UNEP-hosted event. Ashton even had the distinction of being the youngest delegate out of 2,500 attendees!

This coming November, the final round of negotiations for this important treaty to end plastic pollution (INC-5) will be held in Busan, S. Korea. We believe our youth voices need to be included more than ever in this historic negotiation, which will impact our generation for many decades to come.

We are asking for donations to help Hidden Plastic travel to S. Korea November 25th-December 1st, 2024 to continue our efforts connecting solutions with the many problems that plastic pollution has created for our planet!

These funds will go solely towards travel, food and hotel costs over the week.

OUR PLANS FOR INC-5

TWO SOLUTIONS TO CHAMPION:

We believe the following can have huge impact on reducing plastic pollution. These are solutions that we haven't seen highlighted at the Global Plastics Treaty in any meaningful way:

PREMIUM WATER REFILL STATIONS - based on the Droplets Project for the Maldives, Hidden Plastic will network with other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to share details of this comprehensive idea. With partnerships in place, we want to assemble a ‘watertight’ proposal for eliminating PET water bottles with artistic refill stations, made by youth using recycled materials in Makers Places (up-cycling centres). We want to approach the World Bank and some corporate sponsors. NOTE: 80% of plastic in Maldives is now estimated to come from tourists & locals wanting safe drinking water. Droplets would house RO filters + remineralise + chill water for universal access to the best drinking water possible.

SEAWEED PACKAGING: Zara couldn't believe that at the INC-4 Alternative Packaging side event there was ZERO mention of seaweed (or even fungi) packaging. It was all about substandard, bio-degradable alternatives. So she introduced Prof Thompson and Plymouth Uni researchers to Notpla and other companies after INC-4. As a seaweed ambassador, she wrote last month to the Global Seaweed Coalition to ask if they could represent the industry at INC-5 (especially in S. Korea where seaweed is so prevalent!). We’re hoping to help put together a stand for seaweed packaging, and maybe Zara will even have a chance to present it at INC-5 side event?

COMMUNICATIONS:

Hidden Plastic is also planning an 'Instagram takeover' for Captain Planet Foundation throughout the week. We will be reporting on events and interviewing key people throughout the final negotiations in Busan.

Planeteer Alliance / Captain Planet Foundation delegates with Tap artist Ben Von Wong outside of INC-4 in Ottawa in April 2024

Zara & Ashton joined 'Children & Youth Major Group' at INC-2 (Paris)

Ashton & Zara with CYMG in Ottawa at INC-4

HIDDEN PLASTIC'S IMPACT AT INC-4 Ottawa in April:

While at INC-4 in Ottawa, we were able to meet many of the key decision-makers and influencers who are working to bring an end to plastic pollution. We enjoy making connections between problems and solutions, and being at a global event of this scale gives a great opportunity to meet the right people and have high impact.

WE MET WITH UN DELEGATIONS:

Such as the High Ambition Coalition, Fiji Delegation, Polynesian Triangle delegates, and the UK government team (Defra).

In our 40-minute meeting with the UK government’s delegation

WE MET WITH COALITIONS:

When we met with the Scientist Coalition and attended an alternative packaging side-event we:

Outcomes: We connectedDelta Airlines, Head of Sustainability with the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty.

WE MET WITH CORPORATE LEADERS:

In our 20-minute meeting with PepsiCo's Sustainability Head, Carolyn Panzarella, Zara emphasized the need for businesses to help cleanup plastic pollution that they were instrumental in creating, through their single-use packaging, by:

Outcome: Two links to PepsiCo Foundation

WE MET OTHER NGOs:

During side events, we had the chance to meet many people doing excellent work:

Please visit HiddenPlastic.org to learn more about the UN Global Plastics Treaty, and how we have been able to make our voices heard at both INC-2 in Paris last year and even more in 7 days at INC-4 in Ottawa this April.

Thank you in advance for helping us attend this crucial event to end plastic pollution – which will hopefully also have a serious impact in our lifetime on improving biodiversity and alleviating some of the worst effects of climate change!