From 23 to 29 April 2024 in Ottawa, Canada, the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. 

Our Partner ASH attended the negotiations and released an interesting summary which you can access here. 

In short, several countries called for a total ban on plastic cigarette filters and no country came out strong against it. This is already a good news in itself. However, one should note that no text will be adopted until the end of INC-5 in Busan, South Korea in November 2024.

To get a cigarette filter ban, we need the INC to adopt a strong stance to ban nonessential, problematic plastics. Additionally, cigarette filters need to be included in Annex B, which lists the plastics and products that fall into such a category. 

We remain optimistic and will closely monitor the developments at INC-5 in South Korea. 

Download the "Insights from INC-4 on Plastic Pollution and Cigarette Filters" document below: