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September 10, 2025Open Access

The plastics treaty: steps forward, agreement deferred

JGJianping GuoXi'an Jiaotong University RHRui HuXi'an Jiaotong University

Key Points

Continued negotiations on the Plastics Treaty highlight critical disagreements among nations involved.
Since 2022, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee has advanced discussions on regulating plastic pollution.
The United Nations Environment Assembly initiated these negotiations to address marine environment concerns.
Key aspects of the Plastics Treaty remain unresolved, emphasizing challenges in reaching a consensus.

Abstract

The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) and the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) have been working on an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (Plastics Treaty) since 2022. This piece presents a perspective on the current progress of the Plastics Treaty from the first session of the UNEA to the last session of the INC as of August 2025, highlighting different positions of States and groups of States, based on which, argues that some of the key contentions remain throughout the negotiations.

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