Overview

• The INC-5.2 session in Geneva from August 5 to 15 ended without consensus or a legally binding treaty to curb plastic pollution.
• Delegates remained split between calls for binding caps on virgin plastic production and an oil-producing bloc’s push to limit the agreement to waste management.
• Secretary-General António Guterres and UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen expressed regret and affirmed that negotiations will continue despite the impasse.
• The Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty and major consumer goods firms urged governments to adopt harmonised full-lifecycle regulations to revive progress.
• Countries including Egypt and South Africa pledged to advance domestic plastics controls and explore procedural reforms to maintain momentum on health and environmental safeguards.