Global plastic talks collapse as oil states rebel
Countries have failed to reach a historic agreement on addressing plastic pollution after more than two years of negotiations.
Over 200 nations gathered in South Korea for what was intended to be the final round of talks. However, significant divisions remained between nearly 100 “high ambition” countries advocating for the phased elimination of plastic and oil-producing nations, who argued that such measures would hinder global development.
“The goal of this treaty is to eliminate plastic pollution, not plastic itself. Plastic has provided immense benefits to societies around the world,” stated Kuwait’s negotiators during the final hours of the talks.
In 2022, nations worldwide agreed that a global treaty was necessary to address plastic pollution, particularly its impact on marine ecosystems, and set a two-year deadline due to the urgency of the matter.
Since 1950, more than eight billion tonnes of plastic have been produced globally, with less than 10% recycled, according to United Nations estimates. This has resulted in millions of tonnes of plastic entering the world’s oceans, posing serious threats to wildlife.
Birds, fish, and whales can be injured or killed by entanglement in plastic debris or by ingesting it, leading to starvation.
Plastic production relies on fossil fuels and is estimated to account for 5% of global emissions, meaning that efforts to reduce plastic could also contribute to combating climate change.
The meeting in Busan, South Korea, was meant to be the fifth and final round of negotiations, but despite late-night talks, countries failed to bridge their differences, missing the crucial two-year deadline.
“A few critical issues are preventing us from reaching a comprehensive agreement,” said Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the chair of the talks, on the final day.
While various issues were discussed, the main point of contention was Article 6—whether to include a commitment to reduce plastic production or simply focus on increasing recycling efforts to reduce plastic waste.
A group of 95 countries, including the UK, the European Union, the African Group, and many South American nations, has emerged, advocating for Article 6 to include a legally binding pledge to reduce production levels.
“We carry the weight of expectations from our citizens who are counting on us to protect them and the environment from the plastic pollution crisis,” said Camila Zepeda, Mexico’s chief negotiator, representing this group at the final meeting.
Her speech was met with strong applause, but oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, and Russia strongly opposed the proposal.
The demand for oil across most sectors is expected to fall from 2026 as countries move to cleaner technologies like electric vehicles – but plastic is seen as one of the remaining growth markets. This may explain why these countries are particularly concerned about any global target to cut production levels.
“Attempting to phase out plastic rather than addressing the issue of plastic production risks undermining global progress and exacerbating economic inequality,” said Salman Alajmi, a Kuwait delegate.
India also voiced its concerns with including any commitments to cut production of plastic on the basis it could impact its right to development.
Environmental charities and scientists expressed their deep disappointment that the talks had collapsed and raised concerns about the influence of the fossil fuel industry.
InfluenceMap, a think tank, found that the petrochemical industry intervened dozens of times on the treaty via company statements, social media and consultation responses, and 93% of those were unsupportive of efforts to cut production levels.
But the report did highlight that these efforts were outweighed by positive support from key manufacturers of plastic products like Unilever, Mars and Nestlé who want consistent global regulation on the issue.
Jodie Roussell, global public affairs lead for sustainability at Nestlé, said of the talks’ collapse: “Disappointingly, consensus among all nations remains elusive, which further delays critical action to end plastic pollution.
“It also fails to deliver the certainty that business needs to mobilise investment and scale solutions.”
It is now expected that countries will reconvene next year to try and get an agreement, but Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics policy manager at conservation charity the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), told the BBC that the group of 95 should go ahead with their own treaty.
“I think the political reality is that most countries in the world want this – that is the positive thing we can take from this.
“Those countries shouldn’t accept anything less than what they are asking for, there are already so many that a treaty would have a massive impact on ending plastic pollution and that option should be on the table.”
