Year after Ocean Summit, plastic treaty negotiations remain stuck

One year after the historic UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, global efforts to forge a treaty against plastic pollution are faltering. International bodies and governments convened in Paris to urge renewed action, emphasizing the complex challenge of persuading oil-producing nations that environmental regulations can coexist with economic prosperity.

Barbara Pompili, France's delegate for the environment, described the ongoing negotiations, which began in 2022, as "very difficult." She noted that plastic pollution represents a quintessential ecological problem, often clashing with the interests of those who view environmental protection as a "burden" to development. The scale of the issue is immense: the world produces 430 million tons of plastic each year, with a significant portion ending up in oceans, rivers, and lakes, and microplastics entering the food chain. Projections indicate a threefold increase in pollution by 2060 if immediate measures are not implemented.

Despite a strong resolution adopted by the UN in 2022 to end plastic pollution, six rounds of negotiations have yielded no agreement. Major oil-producing countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia, have reportedly resisted global limits on plastic production. The momentum generated by the UNOC3 summit has waned since the lack of consensus at the Geneva session in August 2025. Chile has since taken over the presidency of the negotiation process for the binding treaty, considered the most significant global accord on the matter.

Chilean negotiator Julio Cordano acknowledged the complexity of the talks, citing "ambition, financing, and implementation mechanisms" as key challenges. He highlighted the daily influx of plastic into waterways, stating that "plastic pollution does not respect borders. No country can face this alone." The UNOC3 in Nice concluded with a commitment to address the issue, but the path forward remains uncertain as negotiations continue.