Plastics Treaty Talks Stall, Another Negotiation Round Planned

Countries negotiating a binding plastics treaty failed to come to a final agreement after the fifth session adjourned on Dec. 2 in Busan, South Korea. 

The talks moved the world closer to a treaty on plastics pollution but critical areas of disagreement remain unresolved, said Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Program (UNEP). 

“Through the Busan talks, negotiators have reached a greater degree of convergence on the structure and elements of the treaty text, as well as a better understanding of country positions and shared challenges,” she said. “But it is clear there is persisting divergence in critical areas and more time is needed for these areas to be addressed."

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a nonprofit working with businesses to develop a circular economy, released a statement saying a small number of countries are opposing rules that would impact the full plastics lifecycle. 

Governments now must choose between a consensus treaty that has little impact or push for an agreement that moves toward a “just transition” and is supported by comprehensive financing, the organization stated on LinkedIn. 

Major petroleum-producing nations, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, are among the countries pushing back against measures that would cut plastics production and require the listing or phasing out of certain chemicals, according to a New York Times article. 

Over 3,300 delegates, including members representing more than 170 nations, met during a weeklong session in Busan for the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC). Members negotiated two documents before agreeing to resume discussions in a future meeting.

“At UNEA 5.2, the world promised to tackle plastic pollution. Now, at the next round of talks, the world will have the opportunity to finally make that a reality. An opportunity we cannot afford to miss,” Andersen stressed. 

INC-5 follows four earlier rounds of negotiations: INC-1, which took place in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in November 2022; INC-2, which was held in Paris in June 2023; INC-3, which happened in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2023; and INC-4, which occurred in Ottawa, Canada in April 2024.