🧴 The global plastics treaty: where talks have got to
More than 180 countries have been negotiating a global agreement on plastic pollution. Talks in Geneva in August 2025 ended without a deal. Here is what we know and what to watch.
What is the treaty?
The United Nations set up an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop a legally binding international agreement on plastic pollution. Countries have been negotiating its text over several sessions.
What happened in Geneva in August 2025?
The resumed fifth session (INC-5.2) was held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Ten days of negotiations ended early on 15 August 2025 without consensus on the treaty text. More than 1,400 delegates from 183 countries took part. According to UNEP, member states still expressed a clear wish to continue the process despite significant differences, and agreed to resume at a future date to be announced.
What happened next?
A further one-day session (INC-5.3) was held in Geneva on 7 February 2026 for organisational purposes, including electing officers after the former chair resigned. UNEP states that no substantive negotiations were held at it.
When we last checked (22 October 2026), UNEP’s page listed activities leading up to a next session, INC-5.4, but gave no dates or location. Check UNEP’s page ↗ for the latest.
Why plastic is on the agenda
The World Bank reported that plastic made up 12 percent of the world’s municipal solid waste in 2016, about 242 million tonnes.
What it means for you
Nothing changes for UK households yet. Day-to-day rules on what you can recycle still come from UK and local rules. See our plastic bags and wrapping guide and Simpler Recycling post.
Information on this page comes from the organisations named in the sources, and statistics are only as good as the data countries report. Different reports use different years and methods, so do not compare their numbers directly.
Sources
- UNEP: Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution ↗
- UNEP press release: talks on a global plastic pollution treaty adjourn without consensus ↗
- World Bank: What a Waste 2.0 ↗
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
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