New plastic treaty document criticised for weaker ambition

A new document attempting to revive a faltering global plastics treaty appears to reflect a less ambitious approach, according to a leading scientific expert. Talks to establish the world's first treaty tackling the surge of plastic pollution were halted in August 2025 due to opposition from oil-exporting countries. A document released on the weekend following this setback has drawn harsh criticism from environmental groups.

While it mirrors a fresh draft, the treaty's chair, Julio Cordano of Chile, clarified it was an "informal reference document" and not a negotiated agreement. Cordano noted the document took a "balanced approach," with subjects where views remain divided put in brackets. Richard Thompson, a British marine biologist who coined the term microplastics, told AFP the document was "even slightly weaker" than the rejected draft from the previous year.

Thompson, a researcher at Plymouth University and an independent scientific observer, stated the text fails both future and present generations. The Center for International Environmental Law's David Azoulay expressed this sentiment in a statement, saying the text does not address future plastic pollution issues. Negotiators from 185 countries have been unable to reach an agreement on a combination of measures, with a majority advocating for legally binding restrictions on plastic production expected to triple by 2060, and a smaller group of oil-producing nations, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Russia, resisting such measures, focusing instead on narrow waste management strategies.

Thompson suggested that the push to reduce carbon emissions might be pushing some oil producers to seek an alternative growth market by producing more plastic derived from petroleum. Research published in The Lancet last year estimated that plastic pollution costs the world $1.5 trillion annually in health problems. Thompson also expressed concern over the exclusion of independent scientific observers, including himself, from advising negotiators, saying this creates unnecessary suspicion.

Describing the treaty as a "once-in-a-planet opportunity," Thompson said he saw "no point... in agreeing on something that is too weak to deliver." The updated version of the document is expected to be prepared after the next round of informal talks in Bangkok from September 27 to 30, with formal negotiations by the UN Environment Programme scheduled for March 2027.