{"id":58134,"date":"2025-08-19T12:28:21","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T10:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plasticodyssey.org\/the-un-plastics-treaty-in-geneva\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T11:07:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T10:07:15","slug":"the-global-plastics-treaty-in-geneva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plasticodyssey.org\/en\/the-global-plastics-treaty-in-geneva\/","title":{"rendered":"The Global Plastics Treaty in Geneva: No Sleep, No Treaty"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”center” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” row_negative_margin=”disable_negative_margin” z_index=”” el_class=”headpage_article”][vc_column el_class=”toptobottom”][vc_column_text css=””]The UN Plastics Treaty is intended to become the first legally binding global agreement to end plastic pollution. Negotiations have taken place through Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meetings where 184 countries debate potential treaty text line by line. The Geneva meeting in August (INC-5.2) was meant to be the sixth and final round of talks.[\/vc_column_text]<\/i><\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” z_index=”” anchor=”more” el_class=”article_content” padding_bottom=”40″ padding_top=”20″][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

A Fragile Moment for the Plastics Treaty<\/h2>\n

The UN Plastics Treaty<\/a> is set to be the world\u2019s first binding agreement to end plastic pollution. This August in Geneva, 184 countries convened for what was expected to be the final negotiation round. Instead, delegates left exhausted and without a deal, as divisions over ambition proved impossible to bridge.<\/p>\n

In the final days of negotiations, talks stretched past midnight, with sessions postponed hour by hour. The divide between those demanding an ambitious treaty with global targets that adopts a full lifecycle approach and those seeking weak, voluntary measures focused on waste management was impossible to bridge. In the final hours, a last draft<\/a> was circulated that included “a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastics”. Encouraging, but as many countries argued, far from enough. Another “final” session (INC-5.3) now seems inevitable, with intersessional work continuing in the months ahead.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”58061″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=”” qode_css_animation=”” el_class=”mt2″][vc_column_text css=”” el_class=”sk_legend align_center mt1″]The Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”” el_class=”mt2″]Meanwhile, plastic keeps flowing into the ocean at roughly 20 tons a minute. Delay is a cost that communities and ecosystems pay in real time.<\/p>\n

Plastic Odyssey\u2019s Perspective: From the Frontlines<\/h2>\n

Our vessel and crew are currently in Tanzania<\/a>, working with coastal communities overwhelmed by plastic waste. After almost 3 years working around the globe with local solution holders, we are starting a new chapter of our journey focused on restoring threatened and inaccessible UNESCO World Heritage sites like Henderson Island<\/a> last year. In October, we will embark to another UNESCO site, Aldabra Atoll in Seychelles<\/a>, where an estimated 500 tons of plastic waste has accumulated. This year, we will conduct a comprehensive site assessment, with large-scale cleanup missions planned from 2026 on.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”53693″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=”” qode_css_animation=”” el_class=”mt2″][vc_column_text css=”” el_class=”sk_legend align_center mt1″]Cleanup of Henderson Island (South Pacific) by the Plastic Odyssey team, February 2024.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”” el_class=”mt2″]We are not observers from afar. We have navigated waterways choked with debris, threatening both ecosystems and livelihoods. We have cleaned beaches that refilled with waste in a few weeks. We have partnered with entrepreneurs reshaping end-of-life plastic, yet they are unable to keep up with the flood of waste. While traveling the world, we also found successful alternative solutions to plastic ready to be scaled and shared.<\/p>\n

As Simon Bernard<\/strong> explains:
\n“Every stopover shows us the same pattern: communities and entrepreneurs are doing incredible work to reduce plastic. People are aware of the problem and ready to change their behaviors. They want sustainable alternatives and they don\u2019t want a polluted environment, but they are fighting a tide of plastic that never stops. Without international targets to reduce production and improve management, local solutions will always be overwhelmed.”<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”58082″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=”” qode_css_animation=”” el_class=”mt2″][vc_column_text css=”” el_class=”sk_legend align_center mt1″]Training recycling entrepreneurs in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”” el_class=”mt2″]These realities explain why we believe a treaty must cover the full life cycle of plastics, which is also why we developed a holistic approach to tackling plastic pollution; from studying the problem to inform decision-making, to restoring pollution hotspots and inspiring change by sharing concrete solutions and impactful stories.<\/p>\n

Based on our extensive work around the world, we know that for international commitments to be effective, they must include a systemic approach, including:<\/p>\n