Overview

• The fifth session in Geneva has convened nearly 180 countries to negotiate the first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution.
• High Ambition Coalition members like Mexico have proposed a phased list of products and substances to restrict single-use plastics and toxic additives.
• Oil-exporting nations including Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran and seven countries that produce two-thirds of virgin plastics block binding production caps and advocate focusing solely on waste management.
• Delegations report that 100 of the 180 participants support a progressive phase-out plan for single-use plastics and are prepared to break a consensus impasse with a majority vote.
• The UN Environment Programme warns plastic waste could triple by 2060 without a binding treaty and the draft text covers the full lifecycle to promote circular economy principles and address over $1.5 trillion in annual health costs.