The negotiations for the first global treaty with legal force against plastic pollution concluded on Friday in Geneva without any agreement after 11 days of intense discussions at the UN headquarters.
Countries remained deadlocked on major disagreements, especially regarding reducing plastic production and implementing mandatory global controls on the toxic substances used in its manufacturing.
The outcome marks a new failure, following the previous round held last year in South Korea, which also ended in the same deadlock.
### Harsh Reactions
Representatives of Norway, Australia, Tuvalu, and other states expressed deep disappointment. „We came to Geneva to obtain a global plastic treaty because we know the stakes could not be higher,” said Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for the Environment, on social media.
Although the text on the table does not meet all ambitions, it is „a step forward,” and „perfection should not be the enemy of the good,” she added, emphasizing that the EU will continue to advocate for a stronger agreement.
„I am disappointed and furious,” said French Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher, quoted by [Euronews](https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/08/15/abject-failure-talks-on-landmark-plastics-treaty-end-in-geneva-with-no-agreement). She accused „some countries, guided by short-term financial interests, and not by the health of the population or the sustainability of economies,” of blocking an ambitious treaty, despite clear scientific and medical evidence that plastic „kills, poisons the oceans, soils, and ultimately contaminates our bodies.”
France, together with the EU and over 100 countries, sought to achieve an agreement to reduce plastic production, ban the most dangerous products, and protect public health.
### Objections from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
The chair of the negotiating committee, Luis Vayas Valdivieso, drafted two treaty proposals. The latest version, published Friday morning, did not limit plastic production but acknowledged that current levels of production and consumption are „unsustainable” and that coordinated global action is needed to reverse the trend.
The text proposed an approach covering the entire life cycle of plastic and reducing products containing hazardous chemicals, as well as single-use or short-lived items.
„A compromise means we have to be flexible on our red lines,” said Danish Minister of the Environment Magnus Heunicke, who holds the rotating presidency of the European Council. However, the 184 participating states did not agree to use either draft as a basis for negotiations.
Saudi Arabia stated that both text versions presented are „imbalanced,” and Saudi and Kuwaiti negotiators argued that the latest proposal takes more into account the views of other states and addresses plastic production – an aspect they consider outside the scope of the treaty.
After a three-hour meeting, Valdivieso announced the suspension of the session, striking with a hammer made of recycled bottle caps from a landfill in Nairobi.
### „Abject Failure” and Calls for Process Change
David Azoulay, Health Program Director and head of the International Environmental Law Center delegation, described the discussions as „an abject failure.” „In recent days, it has become clear that some countries did not come here to finalize a text but to block any progress,” he said.
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UN Environment Program Chief Inger Andersen acknowledged that the desired outcome was not achieved, but emphasized progress in clarifying the „red lines” of the states.
For a proposal to be included in the treaty, all states must agree. India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Vietnam, and others argue that consensus is essential. However, other countries call for rule changes to allow voting if necessary – an idea supported by Greenpeace.
Azoulay warned that without a change in the process, negotiations will fail again and called for „a treaty of the willing” that would not be blocked by the „tyranny of consensus.”
G.P.