Overview

• The United Nations’ sixth negotiating round on a legally binding plastics treaty convened in Geneva with around 180 countries from August 5 to 14.
• A July 25 U.S. State Department memo sent to delegates rejects any global caps on plastic production or bans on additives and products.
• More than 100 nations, led by the EU and small island states, insist on binding measures in draft Articles 3, 6 and 19 to curb production, ban hazardous chemicals and safeguard human health.
• Oil-exporting states and petrochemical industry lobby groups are pushing for a treaty focused mainly on waste management and recycling rather than upstream limits.
• Scientific reviews link plastics to miscarriages, birth defects, heart disease and cancer, reinforcing demands from health coalitions and Greenpeace for strong lifecycle controls.