Last week in Busan, Republic of Korea, world leaders met to once again try to come to agreement over a treaty to address the critical global challenge of plastic pollution. Though this was to be the fifth and final negotiation, delegates failed to prepare a treaty ready for signature. Instead, another meeting will be held in 2025 to try to complete the process. 

My colleagues at Pacific Environment and I attended the Busan “International Negotiation Committee meeting” — or INC-5 — as official NGO observers. Alongside allies and citizens around the world, and many member states, we were eager to see a treaty that can actually address plastic pollution.  

Signs of progress, but barriers remain

While we don’t have a treaty yet, we did see some progress. More countries came out in favor of setting a binding target for production reduction and phasing out lists for problematic plastics and chemicals of concern. We applaud delegates from Panama, Rwanda, Peru, France, the EU, Honduras, Mexico, Switzerland and many other countries who showed leadership on the floor and behind closed doors. 

But we also saw discouraging signs at INC-5 from member states who sought to delay progress and create an atmosphere of divisiveness. Major oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran stalled progress and blocked consensus on addressing production. Major petrochemical producing countries (such as the U.S.) favored non-binding provisions, or “national plans” that would result in a weak agreement, like what we have seen for climate under UNFCCC. Some 220 fossil fuel and plastic lobbyists attended INC-5 arguing that we can go on producing as much plastic as we like, try to recycle more of it, and eventually, hope that someday, waste management will catch up. 

The fact is, we cannot recycle our way out of this crisis. Globally, less than 9% of plastic is recycled, and most of that is not actually recycled but “downcycled” into new products such as fabric or decking. Even those in the recycling business will tell you recycling plastic is fraught with technical barriers and safety concerns. Recent research shows that when you recycle plastic, toxic chemicals in plastic become more readily absorbed by living organisms.  

So what is the answer? We need global rules and restrictions on plastic production, chemicals in plastics, and plastic products. Increasingly we all understand there’s just too much plastic in our lives, and we are paying the price with devastating harm to marine ecosystems, soil, water, human health and the climate. New polling shows over 84% of global citizens want to see an effective plastic treaty. And in the U.S., members of both parties overwhelmingly want stronger regulation on plastic. Even business interests are in favor of a strong plastic treaty.  

This raises another important concern about INC-5 in Busan. More than two days of the negotiations were held behind closed doors, excluding observers who could bring science, business arguments, public support and lived experiences of plastics’ harms into the room. Intersessional work between INC-4 and INC-5 also excluded civil society observers. Not only did this result in weaker language in draft treaty text, but it also meant lack of transparency and accountability, core principles defined in the U.N. mandate for the treaty negotiations.  

Next steps toward a plastic treaty

Pacific Environment and many others will focus our efforts on ensuring that the next round of talks goes better. We will work toward: 

• A production reduction target  

• Stronger language on problematic plastics  

• Ensuring toxic chemicals are addressed  

• Adding Indigenous rights back into the treaty text 

• Ensuring momentum for a funding mechanism that can support developing countries 

• Centering reuse as a solution to single use 

• And ensuring observer access to negotiations 

We are impatient for change because every second, the world produces 160,000 new plastic bags that end up on the surface of the earth, and every minute the equivalent of a full garbage truck of plastic enters the ocean. Between now and the next round of talks, petrochemical production will accelerate, and new infrastructure planned to be built will be built, risking locking in production for decades to come.  

But it is not too late to change course. Looking ahead to INC 5.2, together with allies and citizens, we will work hard at home to seek to defend wins and hold the line on national policies. And we will prepare for the next round of talks, seeking to ensure a Plastic Treaty that actually makes a difference for the plastic crisis.