A Guide to the Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution

The document outlines the global effort to create a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. It details the environmental and health risks of plastics, the history of the UN-led INC process, and the contentious treaty elements currently under debate, such as production caps and chemicals of concern. It also identifies the divergent positions of major plastic producers, high-ambition coalitions, and developing nations, while suggesting synergies with existing international conventions.

• Plastic pollution is a pervasive global crisis with materials found in extreme environments and human organs; microplastics have been detected in human blood, lungs, placenta, and brain.
• The plastic life cycle contributes 3.4% to global greenhouse gas emissions, a figure that exceeds the emissions of the aviation sector.
• The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) was established by UNEA Resolution 5/14 in March 2022 to develop an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) based on a comprehensive approach addressing the full life cycle of plastic.
• Four major areas of debate persist in the treaty negotiations: the phase-out of specific plastic products, the regulation of chemicals of concern, the establishment of product design standards, and the implementation of global production reduction targets.
• There is a significant divide between 'High-Ambition Coalition' countries (e.g., Rwanda, Norway, EU) pushing for production caps and a 'Like-Minded Group' (including Saudi Arabia, Russia, and India) that opposes such limits to protect economic interests.
• Developing countries and Small Island Developing States emphasize the need for financial and technical support, including a remediation fund for the historical dumping of legacy plastic waste.
• The treaty is expected to create synergies with existing frameworks, specifically the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions for chemical and waste management, and the ILO for ensuring a just transition for workers and informal waste pickers.
• Proposed implementation mechanisms include a review committee to provide scientific and technical guidance and a facilitative, non-punitive compliance mechanism modeled after the Minamata Convention on Mercury.

APA

Kantai, T., Baršauskaitė, I., Roy, D., Paterson, M., & Templeton, J. (2025). A Guide to the Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-07/guide-to_global-agreement-end-plastic-pollution.pdf

Chicago

Kantai, Tallash, Ieva Baršauskaitė, Dimple Roy, Michael Paterson, and Jessica Templeton. A Guide to the Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-07/guide-to_global-agreement-end-plastic-pollution.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kantai |first1=Tallash |last2=Baršauskaitė |first2=Ieva |last3=Roy |first3=Dimple |last4=Paterson |first4=Michael |last5=Templeton |first5=Jessica |title=A Guide to the Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=July 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-07/guide-to_global-agreement-end-plastic-pollution.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kantai2025guide, author = {Kantai, Tallash and Baršauskaitė, Ieva and Roy, Dimple and Paterson, Michael and Templeton, Jessica}, title = {{A Guide to the Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-07/guide-to_global-agreement-end-plastic-pollution.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }