Uncertainty persists over the ratification of the United Nations Convention on Plastic Waste
The deadline for finalizing the text of the UN global plastics treaty passed on Thursday, with the negotiations remaining unsigned due to blocking stances by petrochemical-producing countries and geopolitical complexities.
The talks, held in August 2025 in Geneva, were aimed at creating a legally binding agreement to tackle plastic pollution. However, ambitious measures to combat plastic waste were diluted or removed because of opposition from some major plastic-producing nations.
Countries like Germany (as part of the EU) have expressed frustration about the slow progress and challenges in finalizing the treaty. EU officials like Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall highlighted the difficulty in getting a clean, agreed text, stating, "more square brackets in the text than plastic in the sea" shortly before the talks ended.
The main dispute in the contract negotiations is between countries that want to limit plastic production and those with the raw material for plastic. Oil-producing countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia are working to prevent production restrictions.
Environmental groups such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) support a legally binding global agreement to tackle plastic pollution and have criticized the stalemate caused by fossil fuel and plastic industry lobbying. They advocate for reforming the negotiation process to break deadlocks and push for stronger, enforceable global commitments that cover the entire plastic lifecycle and protect marine ecosystems.
The contract text covers the entire lifecycle of plastic, from production to design to waste management. If an agreement is reached, the text would need to be signed at a later diplomatic conference. In the meantime, plastic pollution continues to affect oceans, the environment, and air, killing fish and other animals and threatening human health.
It was unofficially reported that there has been some movement in the discussions. Conference chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso failed to present a new compromise proposal for the contract text on Thursday. The plenary session of around 180 countries was adjourned on Thursday just before midnight, with negotiations set to resume on Friday.
With necessary ratifications in national parliaments, the contract could take several years to come into force. If an agreement is reached, it will mark a significant step towards addressing the global plastic waste crisis.
References:
[1] BBC News. (2025, August 26). UN global plastics treaty talks end without agreement. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54011825
[2] European Commission. (2025, August 26). EU statement on the conclusion of the UN Environment Assembly on plastic pollution. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_25_4019
[3] United Nations. (2025, August 26). Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General on the conclusion of the UN Environment Assembly on plastic pollution. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/press/en/2025/sgsm20972.doc.htm
[4] WWF. (2025, August 26). UN global plastics treaty negotiations fail to deliver ambitious commitments to tackle plastic pollution. Retrieved from https://www.wwf.org.uk/news/wwf-news/un-global-plastics-treaty-negotiations-fail-deliver-ambitious-commitments-tackle-plastic-pollution
[5] Politico. (2025, August 26). EU frustrated as UN plastics treaty talks stall. Retrieved from https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-frustrated-as-un-plastics-treaty-talks-stall/
- The UN Environment Assembly's discussions on a global plastics treaty, despite focusing on environmental-science issues, were stalled due to industrial and financial interests, primarily from petrochemical-producing countries.
- Addressing the complexities of climate-change and energy dynamics, the contract text under negotiation aims to control plastic pollution throughout its entire lifecycle, from production to waste management.
- To ensure a sustainable future and mitigate environmental damage, it is crucial for the plastic-producing industry to collaborate with other sectors such as climate-change science, finance, and environmental-science to achieve truly enforceable global commitments.
