IPEN International Pollutants Elimination Network

Deadlocked plastic treaty talks will lead to renewed negotiations in 2025

“Just wait till next year!” goes the slogan often attributed to disappointed sports fans. Those same words could equally apply to proponents of an internationally binding U.N. agreement to phase out plastic pollution; they’ll now need to wait at least till next year to try and achieve that goal.

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution this month failed to meet its self-imposed deadline to approve final plastics treaty language by the end of 2024. Instead, at its fifth major session, known as INC-5, conducted Nov. 25 to Dec. 1 in Busan, South Korea, the parties remained deadlocked.

In the end, with the summit running into overtime, the great divide couldn’t be crossed. Oil- and plastics-producing nations (including Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Iran and India), refused to compromise on their demands for a voluntary accord only covering plastic reuse and recycling. The majority of nations — more than 100 in total — held out for a binding treaty mandating reductions in plastic production and restricting use of certain toxic chemicals.

“You felt disappointment in not finishing, but we’re on the right path [toward a] treaty that will have teeth,” said Erin Simon, WWF’s head of plastic waste and business. “The worry was that we’d rush to finish [in Busan] and the treaty would be empty … filled with voluntary [measures].”

One current draft paragraph offers this direction: “Parties, in particular those with the financial capacity to do so and high levels of [mismanaged plastic waste,] plastic production, or polymer production, are expected to contribute to the Mechanism, on a voluntary basis from their public funding.”

A levy of less than 1% of the price of plastics could go a long way toward financing implementation, suggested Bjorn Beeler, executive director and international coordinator at the International Pollutants Elimination Network.

Many who have been part of the treaty negotiation process weren’t surprised by the failure to get an agreement done by the end of 2024, and some say maybe UNEP expected too much too soon. “This is a very complex issue,” Beeler noted. “First it was about cleaning up the oceans and beaches.” Then delegates realized they had to deal with production and toxic chemicals. Also, much time was spent at earlier meetings dealing with procedural and structural matters instead of core treaty issues.

Beeler also believes a longer road lies ahead. “I don’t think we’ll get it done at INC-5.2.” he said. “My guess is there will be one or two more meetings before we know what things look like.”

Read the full story in Mongabay.