Geneva: The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) for a Global Plastics Treaty adjourned in Switzerland on Friday without reaching consensus, sparking frustration among civil society groups and countries advocating for a strong and binding agreement.
According to Philippines News Agency, these groups include environmental justice organization BAN Toxics, which joined calls from other groups and 'ambitious countries' in declaring that 'no treaty is better than a weak treaty,' citing the draft text's failure to reflect core environmental and human health demands. The deadlock followed the release of a new draft treaty text by INC chair Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso of Ecuador on August 13.
The proposal was widely criticized by delegates from nearly 200 countries for omitting essential provisions such as mention of 'chemicals' or 'reuse systems,' excluding measures to cut plastic production, and containing weak language on human health, just transition, and human rights. It also removed provisions that would allow countries to vote when consensus cannot be reached during the Conference of the Parties.
'INC-5.2 was expected to be a decisive step in what should be a historic opportunity to deliver a strong, legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution across its full life cycle,' BAN Toxics deputy executive director Jam Lorenzo said in a news release on Monday. 'However, instead of meaningful progress, the process fell into disarray as powerful fossil fuel and petrochemical interests -- backed by like-minded petro-states -- moved to derail negotiations and weaken the treaty.'
Apart from 'blatant disregard' for the protection of human health and the environment, Lorenzo said the proposal disrespects three years of negotiations, as it does not reflect the will of the majority. According to the Center for International Environmental Law, at least 234 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists were registered at INC-5.2, outnumbering the combined delegations of the 70 smallest participating nations.
Civil society coalitions warned that industry influence threatens to weaken the treaty by blocking language on plastic production caps and chemical regulation. BAN Toxics, a member of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives Asia-Pacific delegation, asserted that a robust treaty must include production reduction at the source, removal of toxic chemicals from plastics, financial support for lower-income countries, and protection of vulnerable groups such as waste pickers, frontline communities and Indigenous Peoples.
Citing data from the PlastChem report on plastic chemicals, the group highlighted that over 16,000 chemicals are used in plastic materials, with little public information on most of them. BAN Toxics called for two key measures to be included in the treaty: Mandatory disclosure of chemicals in products and traceability of chemical origins.
The group commended the Philippine negotiating team for taking a strong stance on issues, including production cuts, chemical transparency, toxics-free reuse systems, and a dedicated article on health. In the Philippine context, BAN Toxics warned that weak global regulations will only worsen the country's plastic pollution crisis.
The country's 'sachet economy,' fueled by poverty and cheap single-use plastics, has become a major environmental challenge, compounded by imports of plastic waste and overstretched waste systems, the group said. Back-to-back cyclones in July, worsened by the monsoon season, caused massive flooding, with plastic-choked waterways playing a significant role.
The Department of Health also recorded a sharp increase in leptospirosis cases, underscoring the public health risks of plastic-related flooding. 'We cannot afford a treaty that bows to industry pressure and leaves the most vulnerable populations to bear the heaviest burden,' Lorenzo said. 'What the world needs now is a strong, ambitious, and binding plastics treaty that prioritizes health, justice and accountability.'
BAN Toxics and allied groups are urging governments to 'hold the line' in the next round of negotiations, rejecting any final agreement that lacks meaningful commitments to ending plastic pollution at its source. The next and potentially final session of negotiations is expected in 2026.
