In 2022, the United Nations started the process of developing an international treaty that is legally binding and focuses on curbing plastic pollution. This treaty is very important as it is estimated that 400 million metric tons of plastic are produced each year, and that by 2040 this number will increase by 70%. In November 2024, the final of 5 scheduled Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meetings took place in Busan, South Korea, where a final treaty framework was hoped to be finalized. It involved more than 3,300 participants who represented over 440 organizations and 170 nations. Despite these efforts, the negotiations concluded without an agreement being reached, and the next meeting has been scheduled for August of this year.
There are a few reasons that negotiations ended in a deadlock.The groups involved in negotiations have split into two main coalitions, the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) and the like-minded group. HAC is aiming for a treaty that involves binding agreements to phase out damaging plastics and chemicals, and reduce plastic production, whereas the like-minded group, led by oil-producing nations, wants to only focus on recycling and waste management. Some believe that reducing plastic production is imperative for addressing the course of pollution, whereas others have economic concerns around limiting production and want to instead focus on waste management. Related to this was the split over the regulation of hazardous chemicals that are used in plastic products. HAC argues that strict bans and restrictions on harmful chemicals are necessary to mitigate the negative impacts of plastic pollution. Disagreements on this came from representatives of oil-rich nations who are concerned that such restrictions could disrupt their industries, and again proposed focusing on waste management and other downstream solutions.
Solely focusing on downstream solutions will not address the root causes of plastic pollution. Although proper waste management is important, it cannot be the only solution, especially as plastic production and pollution continues to grow. Despite the lack of formal treaty coming out of the 2024 negotiations, a preliminary document known as the Chair’s Text was agreed upon. This document will be the starting point as negotiations continue in 2025 and it outlines possible pathways for future discussions. However, it has many significant gaps that need to be addressed before a binding agreement is made.
This document has also been “strongly condemned by the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Plastics (IIPFP) for failing to uphold the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” (UNDRIP). Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately exposed to the harmful effects of plastic production and pollution, but they have been severely underrepresented in the UN treaty negotiations, with representatives and observers blocked from attending the informal discussions that were a major part of the end of the fifth INC meeting. Their participation has also been restricted in previous meetings. Attendance caps on the second meeting limited participation from members of civil society which particularly affected underserved frontline groups like Indigenous Peoples. Then, frontline groups and Indigenous Peoples were “denied full and equitable participation” in the fourth meeting. Beyond not having their voices heard in negotiations, references to UNDRIP and human rights that were present in earlier drafts of the treaty have also since been removed.
A fair, effective international treaty needs input from all the groups that will help uphold the treaty and work to eliminate plastic pollution. Everyone deserves to have their voices heard, and hopefully we’ll be closer to comprehensive treaty by the end of the talks in August. If you want to read about progress made at past INC meetings, and challenges faced in reaching an agreement, as well as stay up to date on negotiations for the UN Plastics Treaty, you can visit this website.
This article was linked to a Post from the Daily Difference by The Carbon Almanac. Subscribe HERE
