10 Things To Know about INC-5.2

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) outlines the critical issues and stakes surrounding the INC-5.2 negotiations for a global plastics treaty, scheduled for August 5 to 14, 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland.

• The INC-5.2 session in Geneva is the second attempt to finalize a plastics treaty after negotiations in Busan stalled. The current draft text is 22 pages long and contains over 370 brackets, which signify areas where Member States have not reached an agreement.
• A primary point of contention is whether the treaty will include mandatory limits on plastic production. While over 100 Member States have indicated that production limits are a requirement for a treaty, there is ongoing pressure to reach a consensus that may be influenced by industry interests.
• There is a significant dispute regarding the decision-making process, specifically whether the treaty and its future Conference of the Parties (COP) will operate by consensus or allow for qualified majority voting to prevent deadlocks.
• The influence of industry lobbyists is a major concern; at INC-5.1, fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists outnumbered scientists by three to one and Indigenous Peoples by nine to one.
• Critical unresolved issues include the establishment of financial mechanisms to fund the treaty, the management of toxic chemicals used in plastic production, and the level of transparency regarding closed-door negotiations.

APA

Azoulay, D., Carlini, G., & Durland, L. J. (2025). 10 Things To Know about INC-5.2. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/things-to-know-plastics-treaty-geneva/

Chicago

Azoulay, David, Giulia Carlini, and Lindsey Jurca Durland. 10 Things To Know about INC-5.2. Center for International Environmental Law, 2025. https://www.ciel.org/things-to-know-plastics-treaty-geneva/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Azoulay |first1=David |last2=Carlini |first2=Giulia |last3=Durland |first3=Lindsey Jurca |title=10 Things To Know about INC-5.2 |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=22 July 2025 |url=https://www.ciel.org/things-to-know-plastics-treaty-geneva/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{azoulay2025things, author = {Azoulay, David and Carlini, Giulia and Durland, Lindsey Jurca}, title = {{10 Things To Know about INC-5.2}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ciel.org/things-to-know-plastics-treaty-geneva/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }