UN Plastics Treaty

 UN Plastics Treaty Mandate

• At UNEA-5.2 (March 2022), 175 nations agreed to develop a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution.

• The treaty aims to address the “full life cycle of plastics” — from extraction to disposal.

• An Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) was set up to draft the treaty by end of 2024.

• The mandate had strong backing from civil society, scientists, and government representatives.

INC-1: Punta Del Este, Uruguay (December 2022)

• Focus: Set procedures and scope of negotiations.

• Divisions arose:

  • Oil-producing nations (e.g., US, Saudi Arabia) backed non-binding national action plans.

  • The High Ambition Coalition (Norway, Rwanda, others) demanded:

    • Production cuts

    • Phase-out of toxic additives

  • Africa, Costa Rica, Peru, Switzerland pushed for a global approach.

INC-2: Paris, France (May–June 2023)

• Challenges:

  • Attendance caps limited civil society and Indigenous participation.

  • Procedural delays stalled negotiations.

• Outcome:

  • Formation of two “contact groups”:

    • Group 1: Treaty objectives and obligations.

    • Group 2: Finance, capacity building, national implementation.

  • Agreement to develop a “zero draft” before INC-3.

INC-3: Nairobi, Kenya (November 2023)

• Held near the Dandora dumpsite, symbolic of global plastic waste issues.

• Progress:

  • Increased participation from Indigenous and third-sector groups.

  • Substantive discussions on the Zero Draft.

• Challenges:

  • Strong industry presence and influence.

  • Disagreement on binding vs. voluntary commitments.

  • No agreement on intersessional work before INC-4.

INC-4: Ottawa, Canada (April 2024)

• Focus: Effects of plastics on human and planetary health.

• Developments:

  • Continued industry lobbying, calls for conflict-of-interest policies.

  • Indigenous groups again denied full participation.

  • Some nations pushed for:

    • Limits on plastic production

    • Elimination of toxic chemicals

• Outcome:

  • Agreement on intersessional work, but excluded upstream measures (e.g., extraction, production limits).

  • Missed opportunity to address root causes of plastic pollution.

INC-5: Busan, Republic of Korea (Nov 2024)

• Final planned session, but ended without agreement on production reduction.

• Observations:

  • Continued industry obstruction and rightsholder exclusion.

  • Strong global support:

    • 100+ countries backed Panama’s proposal to cut production.

    • 95 supported binding chemical regulation targets.

    • 120+ pushed for robust implementation mechanisms.

  • Record attendance: 3,300 delegates.

• Outcome:

  • Gridlock on key issues; further negotiations needed.

Future Sessions

• INC-5.2 planned in Geneva, Switzerland from August 5–14, 2025.

• Aimed at resolving outstanding issues and finalizing the treaty.

Key Takeaways for UPSC

• Treaty aims to be legally binding, global in scope, covering entire plastic life cycle.

• Conflicting interests:

  • High Ambition Coalition vs. Petrostates and Plastic Industry.

• Civil society, Indigenous groups face repeated exclusion.

• The treaty is a test of multilateral environmental cooperation.

• Industry influence remains a significant barrier.

• The success of INC-5.2 is critical to deliver a meaningful treaty.