‘Epic failure’: Plastics treaty ends in deadlock as petrostates resist production caps

Talks to put a cap on the amount of plastic the world produces have ended in deadlock – for the sixth time.

Luis Vayas Valdivieso, chair of the plastics treaty negotiating committee, drafted two texts in Geneva this week based on the views of the participants. Neither text could bridge the starkly divided positions of the 184 countries present.

Around 100 nations, including Sweden, Panama, Kenya, France, and the UK, pushed for binding limits on plastic production, stressing the need to tackle the full lifecycle of plastics to fight pollution. Many also demanded action to tackle toxic chemicals in plastics.

However, many oil-producing countries such as the United States, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Russia, and China, resisted caps, favouring a focus on recycling and waste management instead.

European Commissioner Jessika Roswall said the EU and its member states had entered the talks with high expectations. While the draft did not meet all demands, she called it a solid foundation for the next round of negotiations.

"The EU will continue to push for a stronger, binding agreement that safeguards public health, protects our environment and builds a clean, competitive and circular economy," she wrote on LinkedIn.

Christian Schiller, founder and CEO of Cirplus, is less optimistic.

"What started more than 3 years ago with the ambition to draft a ‘historic treaty’ has resulted in epic failure," he writes on LinkedIn. "It’s a total failure and the repercussions will be felt for decades."

Plastic crisis

More than 460 million metric tons of plastic are produced annually, with roughly 20 million tons leaking into the environment each year, according to figures from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Plastic pollution has been shown to kill wildlife and can devastate entire ecosystems. And when it breaks down into tiny pieces, called microplastics, it has been linked to a variety of health issues in both animals and humans, including cancer, according to one recent study.

The recent negotiations in Geneva marked the sixth round of talks aimed at establishing a global treaty to combat plastic pollution. These discussions, which have been ongoing since 2022, have consistently faced deadlocks, particularly over issues like limiting plastic production and regulating chemical additives in plastics.

'Not surprising'

Robert Engberg, CEO of Swedish plastics recycling company Novoplast, isn’t shocked that the negotiations ended without an agreement.

"The oil-producing countries are adamant about not limiting how much new plastic we can produce. That's one of the difficult points. It's money that rules," he tells Impact Loop Sweden.

The talks are further tangled by geopolitics and the economic disparities between continents, with polluters tending to push for weaker rules on plastic production, he says.

"It’s not just about a plastic agreement," says Engberg. "There’s a lot going on behind the scenes that makes it hard to reach a deal."

A revised draft agreement for the plastics treaty is expected in the coming days. We'll update this article once we know more.