Global talks aimed at establishing a landmark treaty to combat plastic pollution have collapsed once again, as negotiators failed to find consensus on key issues including reducing plastic production. The latest round of United Nations-led negotiations, held in Geneva over nearly two weeks, ended in deadlock on Friday with no agreement or clear path forward.
Delegates from 185 countries grappled with a fundamental divide between nations pushing for bold measures to tackle plastic pollution at its source—including curbing plastic production—and major fossil fuel-producing states who opposed provisions that could impact plastic manufacturing. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United States, and Gulf states argued for focusing the treaty narrowly on improving waste management, collection, and recycling rather than limiting production. Their stance conflicts with the demands of nearly 100 nations and a broad coalition called the High Ambition Coalition, which includes the European Union, Britain, Canada, and many African and Latin American countries, advocating for binding commitments to reduce plastic production and phase out toxic chemicals.
The talks’ chair, Ecuadorian diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso, attempted to broker a compromise by delivering a late-night draft treaty text that omitted explicit provisions on production reduction but allowed various bracketed options for future decisions. However, this failed to win approval as opposing sides remained entrenched in their positions. The last plenary session was cut short at the request of the United States and Kuwait amid signs of exhaustion among delegates.
Statements from island nations and environmental campaigners conveyed deep frustration and disappointment. Small island developing states, already suffering the worst effects of marine plastic pollution, expressed dismay at leaving empty-handed, warning that plastic waste would continue to devastate ecosystems, food security, and cultural heritage. Campaigners emphasized that while no treaty is undesirable, a weak treaty that allows plastic production to grow unchecked would be worse than no agreement.
The collapse represents the sixth round of talks since 2022, highlighting the profound geopolitical complexities and entrenched interests shaping global efforts to address plastic pollution—a crisis contributing vast harm to oceans, wildlife, and human health. Experts warn that without meaningful international cooperation and binding commitments, plastic pollution will worsen, with production projected to triple by 2060.
Many observers called for a rethinking of the negotiation process and suggested that the current consensus-based approach is inadequate to break deadlocks between divergent interests. Some urged moving efforts under existing international conventions or seeking new avenues for political engagement. Environmental groups insist that confronting fossil fuel interests behind plastic production is essential to solving the crisis.
UN Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen reflected the impasse by stating that while progress was made in clarifying red lines, the complexity of politics today poses major challenges, but work will continue because plastic pollution will not stop.
The failure of talks does not close the chapter on the global plastics treaty but delays urgently needed coordinated action aimed at dramatically reducing plastic waste. The international community faces mounting pressure to find innovative strategies to unite differing perspectives to protect the planet from plastic pollution’s mounting threat.
