“Progress not perfection”: INC-5 concludes with need for extended negotiations

Time ran out after a week of negotiations to finalize the UN Global Plastic Treaty in Busan, South Korea. The INC-5 chair announced that an additional round of treaty negotiations, INC 5.2, would be held to give governments more time to agree upon the final text.

Eighty countries had given an ultimatum at INC-5, stating that they would not accept a global plastic pollution treaty that excludes strong and ambitious measures, such as global bans on the most harmful plastics and chemicals. 

While the chair’s latest draft text includes such measures, it also includes various options that still need to be negotiated. 

Commenting on the INC-5 chair’s latest draft text, Erin Simon, vice president and head of Plastic Pollution & Waste at WWF, says: “Progress, not perfection, is what we’re currently seeing from the latest draft of the treaty text.”

Reflecting key elements 

The majority of member states have been successful in finally drowning out a vocal minority, and the text is starting to reflect this shift, according to Simon. 

“Now is not the time to back off on ambition but to push forward to ensure the elements that are still missing can find their way into the final draft.”

Bernardo Roca-Rey, Peru; INC chair Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, Peru; Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, executive secretary, INC secretariat; and Yesica Fonseca, Peru.“With the pressure on, key components of the treaty are showing improvement over previous drafts. The transition to binding measures around product design is promising and an appetite for including a global list of chemicals and products of concern to eliminate has emerged, but there has not been a meaningful change in the binding nature of the article as a whole.”

“We are finally seeing the text reflect key elements we need. Now the majority of countries need to bring this to a close by making them strong enough to deliver on a treaty that could end plastic pollution.” 

Eirik Lindebjerg, Global Plastics policy lead at WWF, says that the draft is essentially meaningless as these measures are listed as options alongside “weak and ineffective alternatives.” 

“Unless the majority of countries are willing to stand up for the most effective version of these measures, this treaty will fail to protect and save the lives of countless citizens. The coalition of the willing cannot take their foot off the pedal and must keep the pressure on to ensure the final treaty text includes the most impactful measures.”

Petrochemical power

The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) says that there is little assurance that the next INC will succeed where INC-5 did not. 

The chair’s draft text keeps production reduction on the table, but it also includes concessions to petrochemical states. 

“Without decisive action, there is a strong probability that the same petro-state minority will continue their obstructionist tactics and further imperil the plastics treaty process,” says GAIA.

Ana Rocha, Global Plastics policy director at GAIA, adds: “We cannot keep doing things the same way and expect different results — that is the definition of insanity. The ambitious majority needs to do whatever it takes to get these negotiations back on track and reclaim the spirit of multilateralism. Now is not the time for timidity. It is time to fight for our collective survival.” 

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) says that while fossil-fuel producers “once again” succeeded in installing progress, global momentum for a robust plastics treaty has only intensified. 

“In a remarkable show of strength, we saw more than 100 member states unite in insisting the treaty include concrete measures to cut plastic production and ban the toxic chemical building blocks that fuel this crisis,” says Daniela Duran Gonzalez, CIEL’s senior campaigner.

Urgency for solutions remain 

At INC-5, Rwanda presented a statement in the closing plenary on behalf of over 85 countries across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands and Europe, emphasizing their shared commitment to a legally binding treaty enshrining reduction targets, phase-out of harmful chemicals, a just transition and an equitable financial mechanism in the treaty. 

Eskedar Awgichew at Ecojustice Ethiopia says: “For Africa, this treaty is crucial to address the unique challenges we face, including the impact on waste pickers, frontline communities and our environment. The journey continues, but the urgency for a comprehensive solution remains.”

GAIA says that the act of collective power was a “welcome change” after four INCs of “lukewarm opposition to the tyranny of the minority and the fruiting of civil society’s years-long effort to turn the tide of plastic pollution.”

“Over 100 countries expressed support for Panama’s proposal to adopt a global target to reduce plastic production.”