Delegates to a weeklong U.N.-brokered summit in Paris unanimously agreed to move ahead to the next phase of negotiations by preparing a "zero draft" international treaty for ending plastic waste globally.
The summit concluded on Saturday with more than 700 delegates from 169 nations approving the creation of a draft global plastic pollution treaty ahead of the next round of negotiations at a Nairobi summit in November. Officials hope the final text will be adopted at a conference in mid-2025.
But the conference revealed divisions between the majority of nations that favor a legally binding treaty and a handful of powerful nations that want a voluntary system for reducing plastic waste.
A "high-ambition" coalition," which is led by Norway and Rwanda and includes the European Union, wants a legally binding plastic pollution treaty. Some of the world's biggest consumer and packaging businesses also favor mandatory rules.
But since most plastic is made from fossil fuels, oil and gas producers and some industry groups – backed by nations such as China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States – favor a more limited treaty that lets them set up their own rules.
"It is unfortunate that certain countries haven’t been able to overcome their national interests and are either derailing negotiations or solely focusing on waste management issues," said Aline Maigret, policy director for Belgium-based Zero Waste Europe, a member of the Break Free From Plastic coalition of 2,900 organization and 13,000 people.
"Others, however – the E.U. included – seem to acknowledge our limited plastic budget," she said. "Indeed, it will be critical that most single-use plastic will need to be phased out and replaced with non-disposable options."
The chair of the negotiating committee, Gustavo Meza-Cuadra Velázquez, a former foreign minister and career diplomat for Peru, said he will ensure the draft "reflects faithfully" the summit's discussions. "I take this crucial step to meet our tight deadline with great responsibility," he said.
The negotiating committee gave delegates until mid-September and other observers until mid-August to propose any treaty elements not discussed at the Paris summit, the second of five negotiating rounds. The first was held late last year in Uruguay. Two more are planned for next year.
Removing the 'default option'
The Paris summit was a success by providing "a mandate for a zero draft and intersessional work,” said Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, an environmental governance expert who heads the negotiating committee's secretariat.
The U.N. Environment Program's Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, which is developing the treaty, sponsored the meeting at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris this past week. The 1,700 participants included 900 observers from NGOs.
The committee was formed after delegates from 175 nations to the U.N. Environment Assembly in Nairobi voted unanimously last year to devise a legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution, including waste in marine landscapes.
UNEP's Executive Director Inger Andersen said she felt encouraged by the outcome in Paris.
"The world is calling for an agreement that is broad, innovative, inclusive and transparent," she said, "one that leans on science and learns from stakeholders, and one that ensures support for developing nations."
Plastic has been the "default option" for too long in products and packaging, she added, but now it's time to redesign them and eliminate unnecessary waste – and the negotiating committee "has the power to deliver this transformation, bringing major opportunities for everyone.”
