Overview

• Negotiations resume August 5 under chair Luis Vajas’s draft that spans plastics’ entire life cycle from design to disposal.
• The EU and Pacific island states are pressing for legally binding cuts to polymer production to curb escalating pollution.
• Major oil-exporting nations including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia oppose output caps and insist on prioritizing enhanced waste-management measures.
• The 2024 deadline for treaty adoption has already lapsed, intensifying urgency and heightening concerns over ongoing environmental damage.
• Observers warn talks may remain deadlocked unless parties agree on balancing production controls with waste-management improvements.