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Geneva Negotiators Fail to Seal Global Plastics Treaty Over Production and Chemical Disputes

Delegates rejected a late draft that stripped binding production caps plus chemical controls after two weeks of negotiations.

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Instalación artística de Benjamin Von Wong frente a la sede de las negociaciones sobre el tratado global contra los plásticos en Ginebra.
Waters filled with plastics in floating wooden village on the coast of Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. Environmental problem, catastrophe

Overview

  • Negotiators left Geneva on August 15 without adopting a treaty, as talks concluded in deadlock.
  • A late synthesis text removed binding limits on virgin plastic production and omitted any controls on toxic additives, provoking widespread rejection.
  • High-ambition countries pressed for enforceable lifecycle measures while major petrochemical producers and industry delegates sought a non-binding focus on redesign, recycling and waste management.
  • President Luis Vayas Valdivieso postponed the plenary for further consultations, but divisions endured and no revised draft won support.
  • More than 230 accredited petrochemical lobbyists drew criticism for influencing the weaker text, and no date has been set to resume negotiations.