The UN Plastics Treaty enters its remaining negotiations: what’s at stake?

Plastic air pollution is a serious environmental difficulty impacting human and ecosystem well being. What measures are being taken to handle this difficulty – each in Wales and internationally?

This visitor article by Dr Winnie Courtene-Jones, Bangor University, explores this difficulty for Plastic-free July 2025, as a part of our data change programme. The views are that of the creator, not Senedd Research or the Senedd.

In August 2025, representatives from 175 nations, together with NGOs, academia and the non-public sector will converge on Geneva, Switzerland for INC-5.2, the final Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meeting to develop a legally binding Treaty to end plastic pollution. This landmark occasion presents the chance to implement a globally binding framework to sort out plastic (from its manufacturing, to disposal) as a way to shield human and environmental well being. Will actions taken in Geneva guarantee these targets translate into tangible outcomes?

This article discusses progress in direction of, and the need of, the UN Global Plastics Treaty, in addition to contemplating efforts taken in Wales.

The Plastic Pollution disaster – Why is a worldwide coverage wanted?

Plastic air pollution is a worldwide risk. Plastics (massive objects, in addition to small plastic items termed microplastics) are broadly distributed all through the pure and concrete surroundings, together with in soils, the ocean, streets, roadsides and the environment. The sheer portions and the vary of detrimental results related to plastics, from extraction of uncooked supplies, by way of to their manufacturing, use and disposal, necessitates world motion; a few of these results are summarised under:

What is the United Nations Global Plastics Treaty?

The United Nations Global Plastics Treaty is a world authorized settlement to sort out plastic air pollution. Negotiations on the contents of the Treaty commenced in 2022, and can draw to a detailed at a remaining assembly in August 2025. The Treaty goals to comprehensively deal with the full life cycle of plastic, together with its manufacturing, design, and disposal.

Negotiations during the last three years and the 5 INC conferences have encountered challenges: from impasse over procedural technicalities, to disagreement over limiting plastic manufacturing, restrictions on the usage of chemical substances of concern, and monetary mechanisms to help implementation. However, whereas the final INC (INC-5 in Busan, November 2024) concluded with out remaining settlement, a robust basis was laid. Delegates agreed to renew talks in Geneva utilizing the “Chair’s text” as a place to begin, and within the closing plenary over 100 international locations committed to ambitious measures.

The problem now could be to construct on this momentum, to make sure that ambition interprets into tangible outcomes and that key provisions aren’t diluted.

In the phrases of the INC Chair, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.” Loads is resting on INC-5.2 subsequent month.

A world difficulty requiring world motion

While native and national-scale methods make small steps ahead, a global approach to tackling plastic pollution is vital to meaningfully protect human and environmental health. Such multilateral world agreements have proved extremely efficient prior to now, for instance the Montreal Protocol to guard the Earth’s ozone layer.

Wales’s progress to sort out plastic waste and air pollution

Preceding the worldwide measures to finish plastic air pollution, and in response to the rising issues surrounding this problem, quite a few international locations, including Wales have carried out and are creating additional measures to mitigate plastics.

Reducing plastic use

Across the UK, quite a lot of “single-use plastic” objects are regulated underneath carried out or proposed bans. In 2023, Wales introduced legislation on a range of single-use plastic items (e.g. takeaway meals containers, stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds), and wet wipes containing plastic will also be banned by the tip of 2025.

Following the ban on rinse-off microbeads in cosmetics (carried out in Wales in 2018), a statement on plans to tackle microplastic pollution was issued in 2021. Over the next years, whereas different EU countries and the USA have introduced legislation on microplastics, additional motion in Wales has been restricted.

The insurance policies highlighted right here make efforts to fight plastic air pollution, with a spotlight largely on air pollution arising from single-use plastics. Single-use plastics only account for half of all plastics, consequently it isn’t attainable to handle the broader impacts arising from plastics, with out additionally tackling different varieties of plastic.

Increasing Re-use and Recycling

Wales’ recycling price exceeds the UK common, however vary between local authorities. Efforts to extend assortment capability, in addition to scaling-up sorting and waste administration infrastructure, can additional set up Wales as a pacesetter in recycling.

But recycling alone will not solve the plastic pollution problem, or achieve a sustainable future. In its 2020 Beyond Recycling strategy, the Welsh Government outlined its proposal to ‘move towards zero waste by 2050 in a new circular economy strategy’ emphasising its dedication to a extra sustainable future.

The current UK-wide Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for packaging reforms the best way that plastic packaging is managed throughout the UK, inserting the accountability for the complete value of packaging waste administration on companies. Its targets are to cut back pointless packaging, transfer to round enterprise fashions and scale back environmental air pollution. The coordination throughout the UK is encouraging for the implementation of this measure.

Less sure is the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), which has been on Wales’ agenda since 2018. The Cabinet Secretary announced plans for a consultation on a Wales-only DRS in 2025-2026, however subsequently announced {that a} Welsh DRS will initially be aligned with the remainder of the UK on supply timescale and interoperability. DRSs, which offer a monetary incentive for folks to recycle objects equivalent to plastic and glass bottles, have achieved excessive success charges throughout the EU, together with attaining >97% packaging return rate in Germany.

Looking forward

While the small print and content material aren’t but finalised, the work is not going to finish when Treaty talks conclude. Governments all over the world, together with in Wales, can be tasked with making certain that insurance policies are developed to uphold commitments and make meaningfully steps to realize its targets.

Article by Dr Winnie Courtene-Jones, Bangor University

Dr Courtene-Jones is a lecturer in marine air pollution researching the environmental prevalence and results of plastics. Winnie is an lively member of the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, a world community of unbiased scientific and technical specialists contributing sturdy scientific info to the Treaty course of. Summaries across a range of topics are freely accessible.