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3w ago

Consensus Deadlock Imperils Global Plastics Treaty in Geneva

Only four working days remain for negotiators to reconcile a 35-page draft riddled with nearly 1,500 bracketed provisions before the August 14 deadline

Benjamin Von Wong, right, a Canadian artist and activist, heaps piles of plastic waste onto a large sculpture that he designed in front of the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/ Jennifer McDermott)
Benjamin Von Wong, a Canadian artist and activist, poses in front of a sculpture that he designed in front of the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/ Jennifer McDermott)
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Overview

  • The draft treaty text has expanded from 22 to 35 pages with almost 1,500 bracketed provisions, signaling that progress remains insufficient.
  • Delegations remain split between an oil-producing bloc focused on waste management and a High Ambition Coalition pressing for caps on plastic production and product phase-outs.
  • Provisional Rule 38.1, which would allow substantive decisions by a two-thirds vote, is being debated as a potential workaround to the consensus requirement.
  • Some 70 ministers and senior officials are due to arrive this week to try to break the impasse before the firm August 14 deadline.
  • Experts warn that without binding upstream measures plastics could account for up to 31 percent of the remaining carbon budget by 2050 and worsen microplastic exposure risks.