Negotiators from around the world are gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, for the final UN intergovernmental session to hammer out a legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution.
The conference began on August 5, but after a week and a half of intense discussions, progress has been insufficient. Despite more than two years of negotiations, the same political disagreements that have stalled talks before remain unresolved.
With less than 48 hours to go, the window for action is closing. Negotiators must now show courage if the world is to get a treaty capable of protecting people and the planet.
Delegations have spent the past week in a mix of formal contact group sessions and informal consultations. Core discussions have focused on chemicals of concern, production, product design and protecting human health.
Delegates are also debating financial mechanisms to help countries implement the treaty. But in the final days, closed-door informal consultations dominate, leaving observers like us and our colleagues with little visibility, or transparency in decisions being made.
Halfway through the session, the Ecuadorian ambassador to the UK, Luis Vayas, held a plenary to review progress. Based on the assembled text (essentially a draft treaty that brings together all the ideas countries have put forward so far), negotiators have ballooned the draft rather than streamlining it. This makes any agreement harder.
It’s a situation which mirrors previous rounds, including the last round of negotiations in Busan, South Korea, in November 2024. Resistance largely comes from a bloc of countries with strong petrochemical industries and interests, such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, unwilling to compromise or pursue ambitious measures.
The latest draft treaty text presented today demonstrates these disagreements clearly. While it could serve as a starting point for further talks, it currently weakens several important issues significantly, including measures on chemicals, plastic production and human health that were carefully negotiated for two and a half years years. Throughout the text, legally-binding obligations give way to lighter encouragement for countries to take action.
Ambitious states and observers now look to negotiators to forge a path forwards.
The science is undeniable
Plastic pollution harms human and environmental health, as confirmed by decades of international research.
Exposure to plastics and plastic chemicals affects everyone, starting in the womb and continuing throughout life. The health effects and economic costs of plastics pollution are substantial and growing as global plastics production increases.
The costs of the health effects are substantial. Deaths due to chemicals used in plastics cost the US alone between US$510 billion (£376 billion) and US$3.4 trillion a year.
Global plastic production continues to soar, however. We make more than 460 million tonnes of plastics every year. Without intervention, that figure could triple by 2060. The evidence leaves no room for delay.
These negotiations are a rare opportunity to protect people, the planet and the economy. Acting boldly now could prevent ongoing future harm.
Taking action
Ten years after the Paris agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change, multilateralism is under severe pressure. National protectionist measures and declining trust in institutions make global cooperation difficult. Yet recent months show there is still reason for hope.
In June, during the UN oceans conference, 95 countries signed the “Nice declaration”. This supports a strong global plastics treaty with measures across the full plastics lifecycle, including global targets to reduce plastics production and consumption.
The establishment of the science policy panel on chemicals, waste and pollution in June, similar to panels for climate change and biodiversity, builds momentum for the need of science-based decision-making to tackle global challenges.
And a recent groundbreaking ruling by the International Court of Justice calls on states to take binding action on climate change to prevent environmental harm, a ruling that provides a powerful precedent that could strengthen the plastics treaty.
However, progress in Geneva shows ambition is slipping. From where we are sat, it looks like countries that were initially committed are softening their positions, while less ambitious states have not stepped up. Compromise is coming from only one side.
With the complex challenge of plastics pollution, the world cannot afford half measures. States must seize this opportunity, remaining courageous and ambitious in their efforts to secure an effective treaty and safeguard a healthy planet for present and future generations.