Lobbyists And Oil-Producers Blamed For Failure Of Geneva Plastics Treaty

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Negotiations for a binding treaty on plastic pollution broke down in Geneva on Friday. Several experts are pointing the finger at pressure from interest groups and oil- and plastic-producing countries. This content was published on August 18, 2025 - 10:30 5 minutes

Warfare, humanitarian crises, climate change, health... I cover geopolitical issues from international Geneva and coordinate the "Genève Vision" editorial project, a joint venture among SWI swissinfo, Géopolitis RTS and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). As a former environmental journalist, I have developed a keen interest in raw materials and have reported on mining conflicts in the Arctic. I studied geography and specialised in investigative journalism, video, and data journalism at the Academy of Journalism and Media, collaborating with outlets such as Temps présent (RTS), Le Temps, 24 Heures, Heidi, and Geneva Solutions.

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• Français fr ((Lobbys et pays pétroliers ont sapé le traité plastique à Genève)) Original Read more: ((Lobbys et pays pétroliers ont sapé le traité plastique à Genève)

The verdict came at dawn on Friday.“We will not have a treaty on plastic pollution here in Geneva,” declared the Norwegian representative during a plenary session.

The negotiations, which had been going on for ten days and were due to end at midnight on August 14, went on until 6am. The heads of the 185 delegations meeting in Geneva were then expected to accept a compromise text, still vague on more than 100 points. Almost all the countries present at the informal session rejected it.

Reducing plastic production was the central stumbling block in the discussions. The aim was to set a global ceiling on production, then gradually reduce it, while limiting the toxic substances used in manufacture. A sensitive issue, which pitted two camps against each other in a tug-of-war that echoed the climate negotiations.

On the one side, an ambitious coalition – to which Switzerland belongs – led by Norway and Rwanda called for a binding target to reduce production by 2040, in line with the UN mandate. This would cover the entire life cycle of plastics, from manufacture to disposal.

Every year, more than 400 million tonnes of plasticExternal link are produced, half of it for single use. Less than 10% is recycled. The rest accumulates in landfill sites, soil and seas, or breaks down into microplastics that contaminate ecosystems and seep into human bloodstream.

Global plastic production has doubled in 20 years and could triple by 2060, according to the OECDExternal link . In response, the UN adopted a resolution in 2022 calling for a binding international treaty covering the entire life cycle of plastics, in particular by curbing their production and improving waste management.

Oil- and plastics-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran and China would have sought to limit the treaty to waste management, without restricting production.

Back in December, during what were to be the final negotiations in Busan, South Korea, this bloc of countries opposed any limits on production, resulting in a resounding failure.

“Some countries have not come here to finalise a text but to do exactly the opposite: block any attempt to advance a viable treaty,” said David Azoulay, director of the Environmental Health programme and head of delegation at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).

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