Global Plastics Treaty – Is ‘No Deal’ Really a Big Deal?
Accusation and recrimination are dominating as the fallout begins from the failure to agree a global plastics treaty at the INC-5 Summit in Busan, South Korea.
The talks, involving the leaders of 200 nations, ended on Sunday without a treaty – amid fears they were hijacked by the globe’s leading oil producing countries.
A new summit – satirically dubbed INC 5.2 – will convene next year, building on a draft text that has been developing during INC-5.
Why have the talks stalled?
The Busan summit was expected to be the climax of two years of talks, with Greenpeace among organisations calling it “the most important multilateral treaty” since the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
But it ended with a continuation of the gulf between countries lobbying for a comprehensive deal and those nations whose economies are tied to continued demand for the fossil fuel-based material.
More than 100 countries had on Thursday backed a new proposal spearheaded by Panama pushing for a global target to reduce plastic production to “sustainable levels”.
But it is understood that Saudi Arabia coordinated a push from oil-rich and plastic-producing countries to block any proposals for the treaty that threatened to reduce plastic production. The vast majority of plastic is made from oil or natural gas.
Ecuadorian diplomat Luis Vayas — chaired the negotiations and who proposed suspending the troubled talks until a later date – said: “While it is encouraging that portions of the text have been agreed upon, we must also recognize that a few critical issues still prevent us from reaching a comprehensive agreement.”
The business case
Throughout the efforts to make a deal, global companies combined to form the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, which lobbied strongly for agreement on a binding and comprehensive accord.
The Coalition, which has more than 275 members, including Unilever, Coca-Cola and SAP, released a statement following the collapse of talks.
It said: “Despite tireless efforts by the INC Chair and government negotiators to finalise a global plastics treaty, it will not be agreed in Busan, as planned.
"We are encouraged by the increased alignment amongst over 100 countries on critical elements such as global phase-outs and sustainable levels of plastic production.
“Never before have so many countries clearly articulated support for these obligations.”
The statement continued by calling the latest text from the INC Chair a “step forward on product design and waste management as a basis for future negotiations”.
But the Coalition said that the failure to agree a deal “further delays critical action to end plastic pollution” and “fails to deliver the certainty that business needs to mobilise investment and scale solutions”.
It said: “There’s no time to waste: we cannot afford this process sliding into unending negotiations.”
Adam Elman, Sustainability Director at Google, said: “In March 2022, 175 nations agreed to make the first legally binding treaty on plastics pollution, including in the oceans, by the end of 2024.
“The world produces more than 400 million tons of new plastic every year, while production could climb about 70% by 2040 without policy changes.
“However, countries remained far apart on the basic scope of a treaty and could agree only to postpone key decisions and resume talks, dubbed INC 5.2, to a later date.”
Chair’s draft text is strongly criticised
INC-5 Chair Luis was accused of “bending to the will of the petrochemical states” in his latest text.
Global South convened a press conference where negotiators and lobbyists combined to excoriate the failure of the summit.
In the hour before the press conference, the Chair released his latest paper, which proposes text for the treaty to serve as a basis for the final bout of negotiations.
Arpita Bhagat, Plastics Lead at GAIA Asia Pacific, said: “The Chair’s latest text is unacceptable to the majority of Global South countries and the billions of people they represent: people who are fighting for their lives for a strong treaty.
“Once again, as throughout this process, the Chair has bent to the will of the petrochemical states while dismissing the demands of the majority, in a completely non-transparent, exclusionary process.”
Dr Sam Adu-Kumi, Negotiator for Ghana, states: “The whole world is looking up to us – they are expecting something better that will protect the environment, human health, our brothers and sisters, and our young populations.
“So we are not here to accept anything short of an ambitious treaty.”
Looking on the bright side
Plastic waste is flowing into the world’s oceans at a rate of around 10 million tonnes a year and rising, threatening marine biodiversity.
Global emissions from plastic production could triple and account for one-fifth of the earth’s remaining carbon budget by 2050, according to one study.
At the same time, microplastics are infiltrating everything from brain tissue to breast milk.
The case for urgent action is clear. And there are leaders who are seeking to take the positives from INC-5.
Anke Boykin, Senior Director Global Environmental Policy, PepsiCo, said: “The momentum is strong. A vast majority of countries support ambitious global rules to address plastic pollution. The political will to take action exists.”
She added: “Progress has been made. Not only in the form of a significantly evolved text but also the debate itself that has reached a new level of depth and nuance. The collective understanding of key issues and needed actions continues to grow.
“There's more to do. The draft text clearly requires more debate, and crucial concepts like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) need clearer definitions and globally agreed principles to address vastly varying interpretations and accelerate EPR implementation.”
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