Plastic pollution treaty explainer: What to know about it

In this photo taken on April 1, 2024, a bird sits on a trash trap along a river in Manila. Inadequate garbage collection services, lack of disposal and recycling facilities, and grinding poverty have been blamed for the growing problem of plastic waste across the Philippines. | Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP

A last round of negotiations on a legally binding treaty to address the global scourge of plastic pollution has opened in Busan, South Korea. 

Here’s what to know about the plastic pollution treaty:

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‘Existential challenge’: Plastic pollution treaty talks begin

Nations are deciding what actions they’ll take

National delegations still have a lot to hammer out before there is a treaty. Most contentious is whether there will be a limit on the amount of plastic that companies are allowed to produce.

Led by Norway and Rwanda, 66 countries plus the European Union say they want to address the total plastic on Earth by controlling plastic design, production, consumption and what happens at the end of its life.

Some plastic-producing and oil and gas countries, including Saudi Arabia, vigorously oppose such limits.

Global plastics production is set to reach 736 million tons by 2040, up 70 percent from 2020, without policy changes, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Negotiators must also decide whether the treaty will reduce or eliminate single-use plastics. They’ll have to resolve whether to end the use of hazardous chemicals in plastics and whether these steps will be mandated or merely encouraged.

Their common objective is to protect human health and the environment.

There are some things many countries agree on. They want provisions in a treaty to promote the redesign of plastic products so they can be recycled and reused. They want to invest to better manage plastic waste. They want to increase recycling rates and help waste pickers transition to safer jobs. There is agreement that there needs to be a mechanism to help countries pay for anything required of them.

Environmental groups and Indigenous leaders want a holistic approach

Graham Forbes, who is leading a Greenpeace delegation in Busan, said his group could support an agreement that puts sensible guardrails in place to reduce the amount of plastic produced, eliminates toxic chemicals and protects people from the uncontrolled use of plastics. That’s achievable, but will take political leadership and courage not seen yet in earlier negotiations, he added.

Frankie Orona, executive director of the Texas-based Society of Native Nations, said they demand a treaty that tackles the root causes of the crisis rather than just managing plastic waste.

“We must seize this moment and leave a legacy we can be proud of, with a non-toxic sustainable future for all children and our children’s children,” he said.

The plastics industry wants to focus on redesign, recycling and reuse

Industry leaders want an agreement that prevents plastic pollution by redesigning plastics to be reused, recycled and remade into new products. They say this will keep the materials in circulation and out of the environment.

Company executives said they’ll support a treaty that recognizes plastics’ benefits to society, while ending pollution.

“I would hate to miss this opportunity because we get fixated on issues that divide us rather than unite us in this purpose of ultimately addressing the issue of plastic pollution,” said Steve Prusak, president and CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. “It’s a really critical time. We’re really hopeful that what we get out of the meetings will lead to practical, implementable policies and harmonization across the globe.”

The U.N. wants negotiators to reach an agreement in Busan

U.N. Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen said the treaty talks are a historic opportunity to land an agreement and course-correct, something “entirely within our reach.”

“We can sit and wait and negotiate and negotiate and negotiate. But meanwhile our oceans are chockablock with plastic,” she said.