Global plastics treaty negotiations conclude without a clear path forward, but frontline communities, Indigenous Peoples, environmental justice and health advocates will continue the fight – Ecojustice
August 21, 2025
What was supposed to be the last round of the United Nations global plastics treaty negotiations (INC 5.2) concluded last week in Geneva, Switzerland without a binding treaty agreement to address plastic pollution.
The final draft treaty text proposed by the INC Chair was a major disappointment and, if accepted by the parties, would have been a loss for people and planet. It focused on end-of-life waste-management and was filled with voluntary measures that parties would be able to pick and choose as they see fit. It would also let plastic producers and polluters off the hook for cleaning up the mess they are making and the harms they are causing to our health and the environment.
In particular, the draft treaty text failed to include key binding measures that frontline communities, Indigenous peoples and environmental justice and health advocates called for during the treaty negotiation process. Those measures include:
