Representatives from more than 160 countries have begun a final attempt to create a legally binding international treaty to combat plastic pollution.
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See subscription optionsThe UN talks in Geneva aim to secure a deal that regulates plastic production, design and waste management.
According to estimates from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), around 500 million tonnes of plastic were produced globally in 2024, nearly 400 million of which ended up as waste.
Without an agreement, UNEP warns that waste volume could triple by 2060.
"Every hour counts," said the chairman of the conference, Ecuadorian Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso.
"We are setting the foundations for a global tool that could change the future of environmental history," he added. The negotiations are scheduled to run until August 14.
The UN Environment Assembly agreed in March 2022 to negotiate a treaty to combat plastic pollution. No agreement was reached at the last round of negotiations held in South Korea in late 2024.
The treaty is to cover the production, design and disposal of plastic. Less plastic is to be produced, products are to be reused and recycled as many times as possible, and what remains is to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.
How this is to be achieved is controversial.
"It's time for courage, not compromise,' says Florian Titze from WWF. "An agreement based on the lowest common denominator will not solve the plastic crisis."
The WWF environmental foundation notes that "plastic waste destroys habitats, endangers animals and humans and poisons ecosystems."
According to estimates by the UNEP, people around the world used 500 million tonnes of plastic last year, almost twice as much as 25 years previously.
According to UNEP, 400 million tonnes of this is likely to quickly end up as waste. Our World in Data says a quarter of the plastic waste in rivers and oceans comes from plastic bags and bottles.
China, the country with the largest plastic production, has already planned national production restrictions.
Most plastics are made from oil, which is why the oil states in particular are preventing an ambitious treaty, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and Russia. They only want to talk about waste and recycling.
The US government under Donald Trump is currently abolishing regulations of all kinds.
"This has not exactly simplified the situation in the negotiations, conference sources said.
Australian Associated Press
