Experts call for change after UN plastics treaty talks fail

Representatives from 185 countries have met in Geneva, Switzerland, for the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) in a last effort to agree on legally binding rules to reduce plastic production and consumption and ban the most polluting plastic products.

After almost two weeks of tense negotiations, the countries failed to agree on a treaty text or clear plans for how the treaty can be delivered.

Experts are calling on leaders to do more after the latest session failed to result in a successful outcome.

“The failure of states to find agreement in Geneva is bitterly disappointing. This outcome is neither what communities, scientists, businesses and civil society demanded nor what our leaders promised,” said Zaynab Sadan, WWF’s Global Plastics Policy Lead and Head of Delegation at INC-5.2.

“An overwhelming majority of states from all corners of the world expressed willingness and alignment for an effective treaty to end plastic pollution. That provides hope for the future. However, a minority of blockers and the tradition of consensus decision-making leave us with no outcome.

“This process showed that consensus decision-making has outplayed its role in international environmental negotiations.

“Continuing without any radical shift in the process, without giving proper weight to the demands of the majority, would be futile.

“We therefore implore leaders not to let all of the work we have done go to waste and use this opportunity to build a treaty that the majority have been calling for since the beginning.”

Dr Nina Wootton, a marine researcher from The University of Adelaide working on marine plastic pollution, agreed that the collapse of the treaty was a missed opportunity.

“The collapse of the Geneva negotiations on a global plastics treaty is a devastating missed opportunity to tackle this crisis at its source,” Wootton said. “After nearly three years, nations have walked away without agreement, with powerful plastic-producing countries, including the US, blocking caps on virgin plastic production and bans on harmful chemicals. The science is clear: recycling alone will not solve this problem. Plastic production is projected to triple by 2060, while microplastics and associated chemicals are already found in our oceans, wildlife and human bodies.

“Vulnerable, remote communities, often with limited waste management infrastructure, will continue to bear the brunt of this pollution. Australia remains committed to ending plastic waste by 2040, but without collective ambition and action from the biggest, wealthiest nations, that goal becomes harder to reach. This was our chance for transformative change — and we let it slip away.”

James Kennedy, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, said although this was a setback, the momentum for change is still strong.

“The collapse of the plastics treaty talks in Geneva is a serious setback for global environmental governance and for the plastics industry itself,” Kennedy said. “These negotiations represented a chance to establish binding global rules on design standards, recycled content, and waste management targets that could have created the scale and certainty needed to accelerate investment in circular solutions. Without that alignment, the shift away from virgin plastics will remain uneven, with some countries and regions introducing stringent regulations while others maintain business as usual. This fragmentation risks distorting trade flows, creating compliance complexity, and discouraging cross-border investment in recycling and alternative materials infrastructure.

“The downstream effects will be felt across the plastics value chain. Brand owners will face a patchwork of requirements on packaging design, labelling and recyclability, complicating supply chains and increasing costs. Polymer producers and converters will have less visibility on future demand for recycled and bio-based feedstocks, slowing capital deployment into these emerging sectors. The lack of a common framework also makes it harder to address transboundary plastic waste and the leakage of materials into the environment, meaning progress will continue to depend on a combination of national policy, corporate leadership and consumer pressure.

“Despite this setback, momentum for change remains strong. Investor expectations, regional legislation, and the growing competitiveness of recycled and bio-based materials will continue to push the industry toward circularity. However, without the global treaty’s level playing field, the transition will be more fragmented, costlier and slower than it could have been.”

While not confirmed, the INC Chair stated the fifth session of the INC negotiations will resume at a later date.

Image credit: iStock.com/Ake Ngiamsanguan