Plastic treaty talks at INC 5.2 in Geneva, Switzerland, have come to an end but not to a resolution.
Finalizing a weak treaty here in Geneva would have been a dangerous mistake, locking the world into decades of continued plastic overproduction, toxic exposure, and environmental harm. We commend the majority of member states that refused to settle for half-measures. By not agreeing to a treaty that fails to address plastics at the source, we can continue to push for a stronger, enforceable agreement that will truly protect human health, our environment and climate, and our shared future.
We leave Geneva deeply disappointed with a handful of member states that held the process and our shared future hostage. Instead of seizing this moment to deliver an agreement that cuts plastic production, eliminates toxic chemicals, and designs materials for true safety, reuse, and authentic recycling, negotiations stalled. Human and environmental health were sidelined. Scientists and medical professionals, who brought clear evidence of harm, were ignored. Waste pickers, recyclers, Indigenous peoples, and frontline communities, who are disproportionately impacted by plastic pollution, were left unheard.
It’s true that finalizing nothing is preferable to finalizing a treaty that would fail. However, the fact that we could not agree on or advance closer toward real solutions today is a shameful reflection of political will bending to industry pressure. Every day without a strong, binding treaty means more plastic in our bodies, water, food, and air.
AMBR stands with Indigenous peoples, frontline communities, waste pickers, scientists, health experts, youth, and people all over the world in welcoming the decision to keep negotiating. This is not a failure but an opportunity to get it right. The world needs a plastics treaty that stops pollution at the source, not one that lets the crisis continue unchecked.
While the negotiations collapsed, the will and passion of civil society did not.