French Solid Waste Partnership

UN Biodiversity Conference - COP17

Pauline — 2025-12-15T15:07:18Z

From 19 to 30 October, in Yerevan, Armenia, COP17 will continue to drive commitments and actions towards protecting biodiversity.

The COP on Biodiversity takes place every 2 years. In 2022, it resulted in an agreement on the Global Framework for Biodiversity, which sets targets for signatory countries to protect biodiversity by 2030 and 2050. In 2026, during COP17, signatories of the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework will be providing a first report on the relevance of their national strategies to implementing the agreement. Given the important biodiversity financing gap, the topic of funding will be central to ensure that commitments for 2030 will be met.

The FSWP call for the integration of waste management into National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs)

In order to preserve biodiversity and reduce pollution and resource extraction, whilst safeguarding health, the climate, resilience and jobs, thereby contributing to all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Waste managed in a manner that does not comply with ESM pollutes soil, water and air, degrades habitats and poisons wildlife. The FSWP calls for the following actions:

Preventing waste generation, particularly through the circular economy which reduces waste generation and the use of natural resources, thereby helping to reduce human pressure on ecosystems, fauna and flora;
Expand universal waste collection everywhere and for everyone, to prevent waste, particularly plastics and microplastics, from leaking into the environment, both on land and at sea;
End mismanagement of waste to protect the immediate environment, while offering local communities a safe alternative;
Recover material and energy, to reduce pressure on natural resources and dependence on fossil fuels and virgin materials;
Improving landfills, moving to 100% engineered landfills, improving operating practices and diverting recyclable waste away from landfill.

To read all of the FSWP's key messages for COP17 :

Key Messages COP17 Biodiversite

INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION TO ENABLE LOCAL ACTION

These messages are in line with the Position put forward by the Global Push initiative , which aims to bring together stakeholders in the resources and waste sectors around three common objectives:
(1) Extending municipal solid waste collection to everyone and end uncontrolled dumping and burning; and progressively implementing waste recovery and treatment systems in accordance with Environmentally Sound Management (ESM);
(2) Implementing the actions of circular economy, and taking steps to transition towards sustainable models of production, consumption and usage;
(3) Improving governance systems, including the four enablers described above.
The waste prevention and management actions set out above to protect biodiversity directly reflect these objectives. The Position is voluntary and entails no obligations: each country may endorse it at its own pace to affirm its support for the proposed vision and its willingness to move in this direction. As the aim of the Global Push initiative is to establish well-informed international frameworks on waste prevention and management to facilitate projects that contribute to sustainable development as a whole, the FSWP stands ready to discuss this with you.

ISWA Congress 2026

Pauline — 2025-12-15T15:06:07Z

From 9 to 11 November 2026, London, United Kingdom. The ISWA World Congress 2026 will be dedicated to knowledge sharing and to showcasing global best practices in resource and waste management.

The International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) World Congress is the foremost event in the field of solid waste management. Since its beginning in 1972, it takes place in a different location each year, this time in London. It serves as a global assembly, featuring elevated plenary sessions, technical site visits, and a rich cultural and social itinerary. Here, waste management professionals, government officials, industry leaders, policymakers, scientists, and emerging professionals convene, engaging in constructive dialogues to encourage scientific and technical advancements in sustainable solid waste management.

The Congress is always preceded by the ISWA General Assembly, next to the ISWA Board and Scientific and Technical Committee meetings.

UN Water Conference

Pauline — 2025-12-15T14:39:19Z

From 8th to 10th December 2026, Abou Dabi, United Arab Emirates. The 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal, aims to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Since the UN 2023 Water Conference, which was the first such event in nearly half a century, the inaugural UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation has been launched and the first UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water has been appointed.

FSWP POSITION

Pollution travels from land to sea: 80% of plastic pollution in oceans originates on land.
Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) of waste as defined by the Basel Convention is one of the most effective and sustainable solutions to reduce river and marine pollution. It protects water quality in hydrographic basins, as a core component of the “source to sea” approach.
The implementation of such management systems is complex, requiring the control of waste collection, treatment, and disposal in ways that protects both human health and the environment. The local waste systems are preventing macro-waste from entering water streams or blocking urban drainage systems, as well as controlling leachate to prevent groundwater pollution.

We demand

... That waste management be recognized as a key element:

to protect water quality and resources, rivers, seas and oceans. We call for it to be recognized in the final statement concluding the UN Water Conference2026.
to drive the negotiations for the upcoming Global Treaty to eliminate plastic pollution, and those under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.

Discover the FSWP's statement ahead of the UN Water Conferen below :

FSWP statement

UN Climate Change Conference - COP31

Pauline — 2025-12-15T14:39:08Z

From 9 to 20 November 2026, Antalya, Turkey. It brings together the signatory countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Each year, the COP reviews the national communications and emissions inventories submitted by the Parties to assess progress towards the objectives of the Convention.

Alongside the negotiations, Türkiye and Australia, as partner country, have launched the COP31 Action Agenda. It is built around ten priority themes, one of which is dedicated to “Zero Waste and Methane Emissions Reduction”. Methane and waste will therefore have a prominent place on the agenda in Antalya.

Third letter from the COP31 Presidency

FSWP's position

FSWP calls for waste management to be integrated into local and national climate plans. Reducing the sector's emissions also brings benefits for health, resources, urban resilience and jobs, and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Prevent waste. Prevention offers the greatest mitigation potential, with 15 to 25% [1] of global greenhouse gas emissions. It relies on the transition to a circular economy: sufficiency, eco-design, reuse and the fight against food waste.
Collect everywhere and for everyone. 2.7 [2] billion people still lack access to waste collection. Universal collection would also strengthen cities' resilience to flooding.
End waste mismanagement. Closing open dumps and uncontrolled landfills would reduce methane emissions by 80% [3].
Recover materials and energy. Source separation enables the recycling of different waste streams and diverts organic waste from landfill through composting and anaerobic digestion.
Improve landfills. Even with volumes reduced through prevention, they remain essential for non-recoverable waste.

These actions rely on the four enablers of the Global Push initiative: regulation and planning, inclusion of all stakeholders, sustainable financing, and measurement, reporting and verification.

Focus on methane

Methane is responsible for around 30% [4]. Because it only remains in the atmosphere for about a decade, cutting its emissions has a rapid effect on the climate, and the waste sector is one of the most immediate levers.

FSWP has worked with ISWA on a methane note for national delegations. It builds on the UN Secretary-General's Call to Action on Methane.

Call to national delegations on methane mitigation

An infographic is currently being developed. It will be distributed together with the note to national delegations and decision-makers outside the waste sector.

FSWP's participation

– Wednesday 11 November 2026, 5:00–6:00 pm - Health Pavilion, Blue Zone
Zero Waste, Healthy Planet – Circularity Without Harm
Partners: ISWA, Zero Waste Europe

– Monday 16 November 2026, 5:15–6:00 pm - France Pavilion, Blue Zone
The Waste Sector to deliver Climate and “One Health” Benefits
Partners: ISWA, BRS Conventions

– Wednesday 18 November 2026, 3:45–4:45 pm - France Pavilion, Blue Zone
From measure to action: methane data driving landfill emissions reduction
Partners: ADEME, Suez, Waga Energy, FNADE, Citepa, ISWA

Further events may be announced soon.

Preparing for COP31

ISWA's “Road to COP31” webinars
ISWA is organising a series of three webinars to carry the voice of the waste sector all the way to Antalya:

– 6 October 2026: launch of the ISWA Climate Change Declaration 2026, “Rethinking waste management as a climate action”

ISWA climate change declaration 2026

– 27 October 2026: Landfill gas: managing methane from existing and legacy sites
Register
– Week of 16 November 2026 (date to be confirmed): live from COP31

ISWA COP31 Webinars

The FSWP – Citepa note on methane emissions from landfills
FSWP and Citepa have published an information note on methane emissions from non-hazardous waste landfills in France. It analyses the gap between national inventory estimates and industry estimates, and suggests ways to make the data more reliable.

Read the note

Know-how projects
FSWP plans to share and promote French expertise in connection with the climate COP.

[1] United Nations Environment Programme et International Solid Waste Association (2024). Global Waste Management Outlook 2024: Beyond an age of waste – Turning rubbish into a resource. Nairobi : PNUE.

[2] idem

[3] Tong, H., Cheng, T., Li, X. et al., « Reduction of methane emissions through improved landfill management », Nature Climate Change 15, 866–872 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02391-1

[4] United Nations Environment Programme (2025). Global Methane Status Report. Nairobi: UNEP. https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/48921 of global warming to date

International day of Zero Waste

Pauline — 2025-01-31T14:48:08Z

30 March 2025. The United Nations' International Day of Zero Waste will be observed every year on March 30.

The second annual International Day of Zero Waste highlights both the critical need to bolster waste management globally and the importance of sustainable production and consumption practices. It celebrates zero-waste initiatives at all levels, which contribute to the advancement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Take part in the Zero Waste Day webinar “Transitioning to zero waste - Perspectives from along the plastics value chain”

1er april 2025. This webinar hosted by the BRS secretariat will be introduced by Rolph Payet, General Secretary of the BRS Conventions and by UNEP, followed by a roundtable discussion on the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders along the plastics value chain in the transition to Zero waste.
By “Zero Waste” we mean, reducing volumes as much as possible, safely valorising what could not be avoided, and ensuring an environmentally sound disposal or “final sink” of what could not be avoided nor safely valorized.
The Round table moderated by Corinne Trommsdorff executive director of the FSWP, will feature Decathlon as a retailer and manufacturer, ICLEI representing cities and local government in charge of waste management, theInternational Alliance of Waste Pickers who will share on the role of informal recycling, and ISWA on the importance of knowledge exchange within the international community to best address these global issues, but also find inspiration through what others do.

I register

FSWP Position

It is urgent to rethink the production-consumption couple to undertake, in line with SDG12, a “Do more and better with less” approach based on the 10Rs principle. The associated transformation of the production-consumption system , would not only address the climate crisis, but the triple planetary crisis:

Refuse: avoid producing and buying unnecessary products;
Rethink: questioning the potential environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle before producing or consuming;
Reduce: minimising resource use and developing more efficient consumption patterns;
Reuse: reusing products for a second purpose - moving away from an industry based on resource extraction, and from an economy based on planned obsolescence;
Repair: working against the culture of throwing away, both for consumers, and for producers, especially by designing the products that can easily be repaired;
Refurbish: restoring and modernising an old object to make it as new as possible again, by changing some parts and pieces;
Remanufacture: completely rebuilding an object for refurbishing;
Repurpose: redefine a new destination for the object - creatively finding new uses for items that might otherwise be discarded, thus turning potential waste into a resource.

These first 8Rs are meant to generate less waste upstream, via decreased consumption, extended product lifecycle, and by giving a new use or life to old products. The private sector is key in making this transition happen to reduce waste volumes that need to be managed and to reduce emissions associated with the production of goods. The last 2Rs, “Recycle” and “Recover” energy, are part of the waste management system and further emphasise the importance of valorising all existing products to decrease the amount of resource extraction.

During International Day of Zero Waste, Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, civil society, the private sector, academia, youth and other stakeholders are invited to engage in activities aimed at raising awareness of national, subnational, regional and local zero-waste initiatives and their contribution to achieving sustainable development. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) jointly facilitate the observance of International Day of Zero Waste.

More informations on the UN website.

ISWA Congress 2025

Pauline — 2024-12-04T14:06:07Z

From 27 to 29 October 2025, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) held its annual congress in partnership with its argentinian National Member. The topic of reducing waste generation and recovering resources was central through the Congress #ISWA2025 theme “towards a wasteless future or a wasteful planet”.

The ISWA World Congress is the foremost event in the field of solid waste management. It serves as a global assembly, featuring elevated plenary sessions, technical site visits, and a rich cultural and social itinerary. Here, waste management professionals, government officials, industry leaders, policymakers, scientists, and emerging professionals convene, engaging in constructive dialogues to encourage scientific and technical advancements in sustainable solid waste management.

Since its beginning in 1972, the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) World Congress has been considered the industry's leading solid waste management event in a different location each year.

The Congress is always preceded by the ISWA General Assembly, next to the ISWA Board and Scientific and Technical Committee meetings.

FSWP PARTICIPATION

– October 25 – Science and technical committee
as Vice-chair of the Working group on Governance and Legal Issues

– October 26 – ISWA Board meeting
as representative of the 50 national members of ISWA

– October 26 – General Assembly
as representative of the National member France. FSWP share its membership with ASTEE, but ASTEE could not be present, and relied on FSWP to represent them.

– October 28 from 15h to 16h – Session moderated by FSWP
Transitioning from linear waste solutions based on landfills to circular economy: the support of the regulatory and governance framework.
We reflected on the key role of the regulatory and governance framework to build basic waste management service while planning the transition to circularity. Speakers reflected on past experiences and today's challenges to support this double transition. The primary mission of public waste management services is to control waste streams in order to minimize the pollution they cause and hence protect health and the environment. Collection of all waste and their disposal in ESM-compliant engineered landfills achieve this goal (building the basics). However, the ambition is to transition to circularity. It's about reducing waste volumes and enhancing recycling and energy recovery. The actions supporting this transition rely on functional waste management systems that provide knowledge on existing waste streams. Planning, clear responsibilities, enforcement, financing or EPR schemes are strengthened by regulatory and governance frameworks supporting this transition.

– October 28 from 16h40 to 19h – Session supported by FSWP
EPR in Action: Case Study and Stakeholder Mapping for Practical Implementation.
The workshop aimed to provide participants with a practical, hands-on understanding of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation under the framework of the Global Plastics Treaty. By using case studies and an interactive panel discussion, participants explored key steps, challenges, and structures necessary to operationalize EPR in real-world contexts. It included case study presentations from South East Europe, Latin America and Africa and emphasize inclusive EPR practices (e.g., engaging the informal recycling sector). Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a central mechanism for achieving sustainable plastic management. The ISWA Technical Note, “EPR in the Plastic Treaty – A Practical Roadmap for Policy and Commitment”, provides a comprehensive framework for EPR implementation. This workshop translated the ISWA Technical Note into actionable strategies through interactive exercises. Participants delved into the dynamics of EPR, focusing on stakeholder interactions, information flows, and the pivotal role of Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) in fostering a circular economy. The workshop also addressed themes of just transition for waste pickers and the inclusion of informal waste collectors in EPR systems.

UN Biodiversity Conference - COP16

Pauline — 2024-05-30T15:51:24Z

COP16 on biodiversity will be held in Cali, Colombia. It will have a crucial role in formalizing an international policy framework for the protection of biodiversity, in the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The COP on Biodiversity takes place every 2 years. In 2022, it resulted in an agreement on the Global Framework for Biodiversity, which sets targets for signatory countries to protect biodiversity by 2030 and 2050. The aim of COP 2024 will be to establish an operational framework for the monitoring of member states' progress towards these targets. This will include a regular reassessment of the targets and progress, and the setting of a timetable for future meetings. The challenge will also be to mobilise resources, particularly financial and technical resources, to ensure that the Kunming-Montreal agreement targets are met.

Agreement on the Global Framework for Biodiversity

More information on the event to follow.

Open-ended Working Group - 14

Pauline — 2024-05-22T14:01:35Z

The fourteenth meeting of the Open-ended Working Group (OEWP-14) will take place from Tuesday, 25 June to Friday, 28 June 2024. The FSWP is expected to attend as an observer.

The OEWG is one of the subsidiary bodies of the Basel Convention and, among other things, assists the Basel Convention Conference of the Parties (COP) in developing and keeping under continuous review, the implementation of the Convention's work plan, specific operational policies, and decisions taken by the Conference.

You can find below the OEWP-14's OEWP-14's provisional agenda

Provisionnal agenda

Summit of the Future 2024

Pauline — 2024-05-07T09:15:13Z

From 22 to 23 September. The Summit is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future.

Multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow

The Summit of the Future is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance cooperation on critical challenges and address gaps in global governance, reaffirm existing commitments including to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Charter, and move towards a reinvigorated multilateral system that is better positioned to positively impact people's lives. Building on the SDG Summit in 2023, Member States will consider ways to lay the foundations for more effective global cooperation that can deal with today's challenges as well as new threats in the future.

A pact for the future 2024

The aim of the Summit is twofold: accelerate efforts to meet our existing international commitments and take concrete steps to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.

This will be achieved through an action-oriented outcome document called the Pact for the Future. You can find the Zero Draft below.

“Zero Draft” Pact for the future

International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) annual world congress

Philippe — 2023-09-01T07:51:27Z

This event brings together waste professionals from all over the world for technical and practical exchanges. From 29 October to 1er Nov in Muscat, Oman.

The theme of this ISWA World Congress is “Global Action Towards a Future Net-Zero”. It is scoped to highlight the key role the waste and resources management sector, as well as the transition to a circular economy could contribute towards a net-zero future. A future where climate neutrality, zero pollution and stop biodiversity loss can be achieved. Effectively tackling ecological collapse and climate breakdown.

FSWP at the congress

This event will be an opportunity for the FSWP to identify the French people present and to understand how to improve the French presence in the future, in order to best share expertise and feedback on French know-how.

In addition, FSWP Executive Director will be attending the ISWA General Assembly as a representative of ASTEE, the French governing member of ISWA. This participation will enable us to gain a better understanding of how this body works, and to continue building partnerships on specific topics, as had happened on May 30 in Paris, at the INC2 meeting on the plastics treaty.

More information on this event: https://www.iswa2023.com/

If you plan to attend, please contact PFD.