New Plastics Treaty Draft Sparks Fury From Green Groups Over Gaping Weaknesses

A fresh draft of the global plastics pollution treaty has been unveiled at INC 5.2. Yet environmental groups say it misses the mark entirely, leaning heavily on voluntary national actions instead of firm, enforceable global rules. The twelve-page document, which brings together key provisions on plastic products and their design, has been met with fierce criticism for sidestepping the root causes of the plastics crisis.

After more than a week of talks, campaigners had hoped for far stronger measures in several critical areas. In particular, they wanted bolder commitments in Articles 3, 5, and 20. These sections address global bans on harmful plastics and toxic chemicals, product design requirements, and mechanisms for updating and strengthening the treaty over time.

The current draft relocates Article 3 to Article 4, which now requires member states to manage or reduce plastics that are likely to end up in the environment, are difficult to reuse or recycle, disrupt circular economies, or contain intentionally added microplastics.

Article 5 emphasises improving product durability, safety, and recyclability. It also calls for cutting microplastic leakage and investing in research to find viable non-plastic substitutes. While these points sound promising on paper, WWF warns that the language leaves too much wiggle room. Countries could interpret them as optional rather than mandatory, and the draft is riddled with loopholes.

“The Chair’s draft is not a global treaty,” said Zaynab Sadan, WWF’s global plastics policy lead.

“It’s a collection of voluntary national measures that will do nothing to address the worsening plastics crisis… After more than two and a half years of negotiations, this is the furthest we’ve been from finalising an effective treaty. The ambition has been stripped out, and the world cannot afford more delays.”

One of the most stinging criticisms from environmental groups is the absence of any system to strengthen the treaty over time. Without this, they argue, the agreement will be powerless to adapt as the plastics crisis worsens. Originally, negotiators intended to finalise the treaty by late 2024. However, arguments over the meeting agenda and procedural disruptions from countries with lower ambitions have pushed that timeline back to 2025.

Calls for Rejection

As the final days of the talks approach, progress is painfully slow. By the close of last weekend, there were still more than 900 points in the text that had not been agreed upon. Divisions run deep over how to set targets for reducing plastic production and managing waste. Some countries want absolute global limits. Others, particularly those that export petrochemicals, are pushing for narrower, material-specific targets.

“The treaty must include binding global bans and phase-outs of the most harmful products and chemicals, robust design standards, financial support for developing countries, and mechanisms to strengthen commitments over time,” said WWF’s Sadan.

“Right now, none of these essential elements are in the text. Ministers in Geneva must reinstate the ambition that has been stripped from this draft.”

Recycling and waste management goals are also in dispute. Negotiators remain split over whether targets should be set at a global, regional, or national level, and over how progress should be monitored. More than 100 countries are backing a suite of high-ambition amendments. These include caps on the production of harmful materials, mechanisms to increase ambition over time, and bans or taxes on certain plastics. Many also want the treaty to address the human health impacts directly.

Talks in Geneva will continue throughout the week. Environmental advocates insist that governments must deliver a treaty with real teeth, one capable of truly ending the plastic crisis rather than simply acknowledging it.

Graham Forbes, Greenpeace’s head of delegation, added: “The Chair’s new text is a gift to the petrochemical industry and a betrayal of humanity. This text promotes recycling while overlooking the need to reduce plastic production.

“Fossil fuel and petrochemical lobbyists are pushing their agenda while oceans choke and children ingest microplastics. Ministers must reject this weak text and uphold the promise of a truly global treaty.”

Global plastic production has more than doubled over the past two decades, now exceeding 430 million tonnes annually. Around two-thirds of this is used for short-lived products, such as packaging. Only nine per cent of plastic waste is recycled, while roughly 22 per cent is mismanaged — burned, dumped, or left to leak into the environment.

If nothing changes, production could triple by 2060. The consequences would be devastating for ecosystems, human health, and the climate.