This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/13/plastic-pollution-treaty-talks-stall-one-day-before-deadline
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Talks stall on world’s first plastic pollution treaty one day before deadline | Talks stall on world’s first plastic pollution treaty one day before deadline |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Almost 100 countries reject draft treaty as ‘unambitious’ and ‘inadequate’ | Almost 100 countries reject draft treaty as ‘unambitious’ and ‘inadequate’ |
| Talks on the world’s first legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution have stalled just one day before the negotiations are due to end. | Talks on the world’s first legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution have stalled just one day before the negotiations are due to end. |
| Some of the countries calling for an ambitious treaty to include targets to reduce plastic production, including Colombia, the EU and the UK, have rejected as “unacceptable” and “unambitious” a draft treaty text that does not include production caps, nor address chemicals used in plastic products. | Some of the countries calling for an ambitious treaty to include targets to reduce plastic production, including Colombia, the EU and the UK, have rejected as “unacceptable” and “unambitious” a draft treaty text that does not include production caps, nor address chemicals used in plastic products. |
| Almost 100 countries, including Australia, Canada, Mexico and many African and Pacific nations, have called for the adoption of legally binding measures to limit plastic production in order to address plastic at source. Many have said toxic chemicals in plastics need to be controlled. | Almost 100 countries, including Australia, Canada, Mexico and many African and Pacific nations, have called for the adoption of legally binding measures to limit plastic production in order to address plastic at source. Many have said toxic chemicals in plastics need to be controlled. |
| The main sticking point at the talks, now in their third year, has been whether to cap plastic production or to focus on issues such as better design, recycling and reuse. | The main sticking point at the talks, now in their third year, has been whether to cap plastic production or to focus on issues such as better design, recycling and reuse. |
| But oil- and plastic-producing nations, including Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran, the “like-minded group” which has reportedly been supported by the US as well as the chemical industry, reject production limits and instead want the treaty to focus on measures such as waste management and recycling. | But oil- and plastic-producing nations, including Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran, the “like-minded group” which has reportedly been supported by the US as well as the chemical industry, reject production limits and instead want the treaty to focus on measures such as waste management and recycling. |
| At a meeting in Geneva on Wednesday, many countries rejected the latest treaty text presented by the chair, Luis Vayas Valdivieso. They said they were “extremely concerned” or “disappointed” by the low level of ambition it contained. | At a meeting in Geneva on Wednesday, many countries rejected the latest treaty text presented by the chair, Luis Vayas Valdivieso. They said they were “extremely concerned” or “disappointed” by the low level of ambition it contained. |
| Colombia’s delegate, Sebastián Rodríguez, rejected the draft text as “completely unacceptable”, while Julio Cordano, head of delegation for Chile, said it contained gaps and shortcomings which did not reflect the scale of the problem. | Colombia’s delegate, Sebastián Rodríguez, rejected the draft text as “completely unacceptable”, while Julio Cordano, head of delegation for Chile, said it contained gaps and shortcomings which did not reflect the scale of the problem. |
| Panama’s delegate, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, also said it could not accept the draft text as a basis of negotiation and that its red lines had been “spat on and burned”. | Panama’s delegate, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, also said it could not accept the draft text as a basis of negotiation and that its red lines had been “spat on and burned”. |
| The negotiators had “only 30 hours” to find a solution to end plastic pollution, not “just a political solution”, he added. | The negotiators had “only 30 hours” to find a solution to end plastic pollution, not “just a political solution”, he added. |
| “This is not ambition, it is surrender,” he said. | “This is not ambition, it is surrender,” he said. |
| The UK’s head of delegation, minister Emma Hardy, said the text was the “lowest common denominator”. | The UK’s head of delegation, minister Emma Hardy, said the text was the “lowest common denominator”. |
| “We need an effective treaty for our people and for our planet. Time is running out,” she said. | “We need an effective treaty for our people and for our planet. Time is running out,” she said. |
| The new draft contains one mention of plastic production, in the preamble reaffirming the importance of sustainable plastic production and consumption. An article on production from a previous draft has been removed. There is no mention of chemicals. A reference to the “full life cycle” of plastics in a previous draft has also been removed. | The new draft contains one mention of plastic production, in the preamble reaffirming the importance of sustainable plastic production and consumption. An article on production from a previous draft has been removed. There is no mention of chemicals. A reference to the “full life cycle” of plastics in a previous draft has also been removed. |
| Kenya described the draft as a “waste management” instrument, which had “no democratic value” for states seeking to limit plastic, while Mexico said it represented a “crisis in multilateralism”. | Kenya described the draft as a “waste management” instrument, which had “no democratic value” for states seeking to limit plastic, while Mexico said it represented a “crisis in multilateralism”. |
| Dennis Clare, a negotiator for Micronesia, said: “Some parties, including ours, are not even willing to engage on that text, it’s a step backward.” | Dennis Clare, a negotiator for Micronesia, said: “Some parties, including ours, are not even willing to engage on that text, it’s a step backward.” |
| “It certainly seems like it was very biased toward the like-minded countries [Saudi, Russia, Iran etc]. There’s problems across the board. There’s no binding measures on anything. There’s no obligation to contribute resources to the financial mechanism. There’s no measures on production or chemicals. This text is just inadequate.” | “It certainly seems like it was very biased toward the like-minded countries [Saudi, Russia, Iran etc]. There’s problems across the board. There’s no binding measures on anything. There’s no obligation to contribute resources to the financial mechanism. There’s no measures on production or chemicals. This text is just inadequate.” |
| Speaking before the release of the chair’s text, Juan Carlos Lozada, a member of the house of representatives of Colombia, said: “If the production keeps growing at the rate it has grown in the last decades, we have no hope for 2050, 2060. So if the treaty doesn’t have those elements, those key elements, there’s no treaty. I’d rather not have a treaty if we’re not going to have a very robust treaty.” | Speaking before the release of the chair’s text, Juan Carlos Lozada, a member of the house of representatives of Colombia, said: “If the production keeps growing at the rate it has grown in the last decades, we have no hope for 2050, 2060. So if the treaty doesn’t have those elements, those key elements, there’s no treaty. I’d rather not have a treaty if we’re not going to have a very robust treaty.” |
| Andreas Bjelland, the head of Norway’s delegation, which is the co-chair of the high ambition coalition, also speaking before the release of the text, said: “To keep production as part of the finalised treaty, that is important. If you look at what we agreed on in the mandate … sustainable production and sustainable consumption was explicitly mentioned. So there should be provisions to be able to work with that and develop that over time.” | Andreas Bjelland, the head of Norway’s delegation, which is the co-chair of the high ambition coalition, also speaking before the release of the text, said: “To keep production as part of the finalised treaty, that is important. If you look at what we agreed on in the mandate … sustainable production and sustainable consumption was explicitly mentioned. So there should be provisions to be able to work with that and develop that over time.” |
| Greenpeace described the new text as a “gift to the petrochemical industry and a betrayal of humanity”. | Greenpeace described the new text as a “gift to the petrochemical industry and a betrayal of humanity”. |
| Graham Forbes, Greenpeace’s head of delegation, said: “By failing to address production or harmful chemicals in any way, this text glorifies the industry lie that we can recycle our way out of this crisis, ignoring the root cause: the relentless expansion of plastic production.” | Graham Forbes, Greenpeace’s head of delegation, said: “By failing to address production or harmful chemicals in any way, this text glorifies the industry lie that we can recycle our way out of this crisis, ignoring the root cause: the relentless expansion of plastic production.” |
| The treaty talks will continue on Thursday. | The treaty talks will continue on Thursday. |
| This article was amended on 14 August 2025. The head of the UK delegation being quoted was the water minister Emma Hardy, not Jane Barton as stated in an earlier version. | This article was amended on 14 August 2025. The head of the UK delegation being quoted was the water minister Emma Hardy, not Jane Barton as stated in an earlier version. |