This final round of talks comes after limited progress in previous sessions. Led by Norway and Rwanda, 66 countries and the EU are pushing for a comprehensive approach to address plastic pollution across its entire lifecycle. However, efforts to curb plastic production face strong resistance from petrochemical-producing nations like Saudi Arabia, and China.

The session which began on November 25 will go on till December 1.

What is the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee(INC)?

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) was created in March 2022 during the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) to develop a global treaty on plastic pollution. Supported by 175 countries, the resolution acknowledged the growing threat of plastic pollution to the environment, society, and sustainable development, and aimed to finalise the treaty by the end of 2024.

Four sessions have been held so far with no substantial outcomes. The first session in Uruguay explored the treaty's scope, goals, and structure, emphasising the need for a legally binding agreement.

In the second session in Paris, the Chair was tasked with drafting a preliminary version of the treaty. 

The third session in Nairobi centred on discussing the draft and involving civil society groups, but progress was hampered by industry influence and disagreements on revising the draft.

The fourth session in Canada saw limited progress, with most countries accepting a compromised plan for intersessional work, despite calls for stronger measures.

The growing global plastic pollution crisis has severe environmental, social, and economic impacts. Plastic pollution, including microplastics, harms ecosystems, particularly marine life. 

The INC was created to develop a global treaty that addresses the full life cycle of plastics, promotes sustainable design, and encourages recycling and reuse. With plastic production expected to double by 2040, the committee aims to strengthen global coordination and cooperation to reduce plastic waste, protect ecosystems, and move toward a circular economy.

“Plastic pollution has grown into an epidemic. With today’s resolution we are officially on track for a cure,” President of UNEA-5 and Norway’s Minister for Climate and the Environment, Espen Barth Eide had said on creation of INC in March 2022.

Global plastic production reached 460 million tonnes in 2019, doubling since 2000, and is expected to triple by 2060. Most plastics are not recycled, with over 20 million tonnes leaking into the environment annually, where they persist for decades or even centuries.

Plastic pollution contaminates air, soil, and oceans, with 51 trillion microplastic particles already in the seas, threatening 99 per cent of marine species by 2050. Additionally, thousands of chemicals in plastics are linked to serious health risks, including cancer and cardiovascular disease, highlighting the urgent need for a comprehensive global response.

Where Do Nations Stand on Plastic Pollution?

Nations remain divided on the scope of the plastic pollution treaty. The US, a major producer of plastics and fossil fuels, had a few months ago, signaled support for signing a treaty putting a cap on plastic production, which the EU, Kenya, and other members of the High Ambition Coalition had been demanding. 

However, this stance is uncertain with Donald Trump’s incoming administration, which has a history of opposing global climate and environmental agreements and prioritising fossil fuel expansion. Meanwhile, oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran favour focusing on recycling over production limits to protect their fossil fuel markets.

This resistance to production caps has raised doubts about reaching a strong, binding agreement by the end of negotiations, especially given the opposition from key players, the petrochemical-rich nations.

A key member of the Global South, India has opposed binding targets or caps on plastic production, citing the economic importance of the plastics industry for developing countries. However, its stance has faced criticism for stalling progress.

India, the fifth-largest producer of plastic waste, generated 4.13 million tonnes in 2020-21, as per Central Pollution Control Board data.

What Stakeholders Say About The Treaty

At the opening of INC-5 in Busan, South Korea, stakeholders emphasised the urgency of finalising a treaty to tackle plastic pollution. South Korea’s Environment Minister, Kim Wan Sup, warned, “We must end plastic pollution before plastic pollution ends us.”

In her opening speech in Busan, the UNEP Executive Director Inger Anderson said, “At the end of this week, the gavel must come down on an instrument that represents an ambitious starting point. Not everything will be as detailed as some may wish. But the broad contours and strokes must be there.”

The UNEP head urged delegates to break the deadlock and move beyond the prolonged negotiation phase that has persisted over the past four sessions.

“Not a single person on this planet wants to witness plastic litter in green spaces, on their streets or washing up on their shores. Not a single person wants chemical-laced plastic particles in their bloodstreams or organs or their unborn babies. The people who depend on sifting through plastic waste for a living would rather do so under decent, safe and well-paid conditions,” she said.

Erin Simon of the World Wildlife Fund outlined four key treaty priorities: “The first, we need to address those problematic and those most harmful chemicals that are in plastics and make sure we can get rid of them. Second, we need to establish clear guidelines for how we make plastics going forward. Third, there’s going to be a lot of change coming, we need to figure out how we are going to enable countries to finance that change. And fourth, we need to make sure we can come together and continue to improve over time.”

Greenpeace’s Graham Forbes stressed the need to break free from a throwaway culture, and create a future where our health, climate, and planet thrive. 

“These signatures are more than a million reasons why the world cannot continue on this path of unchecked plastic production,” he said.