In Geneva, global accord in sight on plastics pollution

Volunteers collect waste (mostly plastic and Styrofoam) on the shores of Lake Geneva. Keystone / Jean-Christophe Bott

Geneva is set to host final talks on a global treaty to curb plastics pollution. But major sticking points remain. 

The Palais des Nations in Geneva is gearing up to host high-stakes negotiations that could seal a historic, legally binding deal to end plastic pollution worldwide. From August 5 to 14, 170 delegations will converge in Switzerland to hammer out this unprecedented global accord. 

But several thorny issues must still be resolved before the treaty can be signed. Every year, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic are producedExternal link, half of it for single use. Less than 10% of this waste is recycled. The rest builds up in landfill sites, soil and seas, or breaks down into micro-plastics that contaminate ecosystems and seep even into the human bloodstream. Global plastic production has doubled in the last 20 years and could triple by 2060, according to the OECDExternal link, fuelling a tide of pollution whose health and environmental consequences are still largely unknown.  

Last-chance negotiations

Confronted with this scourge, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a landmark resolution in 2022 to draw up a legally binding international treaty against plastic pollution. The aim is to address the entire life cycle of plastic – from limiting production to improving global waste management system. 

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But the road to an accord is still strewn with obstacles. In December 2024, at what were supposed to be final negotiations in Busan, South Korea, a bloc of oil-producing countries – including Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran – opposed any limits on production, leading to a resounding failure. The Geneva round in August is likely to be the last chance to reach an agreement. 

Tensions persist

“Cutting production is the most important issue, but also the most difficult to negotiate,” explains Giulia Carlini of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL). This sensitive issue pits two camps against each other in a tug-of-war that echoes the climate negotiations.  

On one side, an ambitious coalition led by Norway and Rwanda and including Switzerland is calling for a binding target to cut production by 2040. This is in line with the UN mandate, which covers the entire life cycle of plastics from manufacture to disposal.  

Opposing them, oil- and plastic-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran and China want to limit the treaty to waste management, without restricting production. “Without cutting production, it will be impossible to eliminate plastic pollution,” warns Carlini, a lawyer who is taking part in the negotiations as an observer. 

The idea is to set a global ceiling on plastic production, then gradually reduce it, while limiting the toxic substances used in their manufacture. “More than 16,000 chemicals are used in plastics, but we don’t know how dangerous more than 60% of them are,” stresses Carlini. 

Other key issues include improving product design to facilitate recycling, financing measures in developing countries, and moving to decision-making by vote rather than by consensus. “Without a voting mechanism, we could arrive at the last day in Geneva with an effective text, but with one state blocking the whole process,” Carlini says. 

A host of lobbyists

The talks are taking place under the watchful eye of industry. In Busan, around 220 lobbyists from the fossil fuel and chemical industries took partExternal link in the negotiations, forming the largest delegation present, according to CIEL estimates. “At each session, the number of lobbyists from the fossil fuel and chemical industries increases,” notes Carlini. “This is a major obstacle to an ambitious treaty.”  

To avoid a deadlock, some are proposing an overall target for reducing production and consumption, leaving the details of implementation to annexes, which are easier to amend. “The risk is that some countries will refuse to ratify the treaty if they feel it goes too far,” says Carlini.  

Switzerland, a polluter with ambitions for change 

Switzerland is the second biggest producer of plastic waste per capita in Europe, according to a study by Science Advances, but the Alpine country is nevertheless committed to an ambitious treaty. “The Swiss delegation will defend an effective treaty with internationally binding provisions covering the entire life cycle of plastics,” says Swiss representative Felix Wertli, who heads the International Affairs Division of the environment ministry. 

His priorities include a sustainable reduction in plastics production and consumption, including limiting single-use plastics, restricting chemical substances of concern, greater transparency in the value chain and better product design.  

The Swiss government has previously rejected several initiatives along these lines, citing “economic freedom”. But the situation could change: in January, new provisions were introducedExternal link in the Environmental Protection Act to strengthen the circular economyExternal link, including plastics. Measures to improve recycling and ban certain micro-plasticsExternal link are also under consultation. 

A public health challenge

In Geneva, discussions on the future treaty began well before the official opening of negotiations. For several months, health and human rights experts have been working to make sure the treaty takes account of plastics’ impact on health and human rights.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) will play a key role in these discussions. “This treaty is on a major public health issue. Human health and environmental health are intrinsically linked,” the WHO stresses. Certain additives and chemical substances in plastics can disrupt the hormonal system, affect reproduction and increase the risk of cancer. They are also thought to be associated with chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, as well as respiratory, digestive and neurological disorders.  

The healthcare sector itself will have to evolve, as it generates almost 1.7 million tonnes of plastic waste a year, mainly from single-use equipment. “Many hospitals are already adopting solutions to reduce their plastic impact. This treaty can encourage such initiatives,” states the WHO. 

Including the most vulnerable people 

Recognition of human rights, especially the right to a healthy environment, is a must for several experts. “Plastic pollution disproportionately affects children, workers exposed to these products, and communities living near industrial sites, including indigenous people,” the WHO notes.  

During the negotiations in Busan, indigenous representatives complained that they had not been sufficiently included in decisions that directly affect them. “This is an issue that must be watched carefully during the upcoming discussions in Geneva,” warns Carlini. Is she confident that the talks will result in a treaty?  

“It is better we take time and adopt an ambitious treaty that rethinks our production and consumption systems, rather than a weak text with no impact,” she concludes.  

Edited by Virginie Mangin/ds. Adapted from French by Julia Crawford