Plastic Pollution Persists Post Geneva

khongjennifer07
Sep 25
3 min read

By Melvin Najarian Sept. 24, 2025

As more and more microplastics make up our food, bloodstream and brain, plastic pollution has become one of the most rapidly growing environmental threats. Plastic lasts in the environment for centuries, breaking down into microplastics that threaten 1,500 species and humans. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks of plastic is dumped into the world’s water every day.

To tackle plastic pollution and reduce plastic waste, United Nation (UN) member countries gathered in Geneva, Switzerland for ten days to negotiate and establish a global plastic pollution treaty. This marks the final step of a process launched by the UN in 2022 to draft the first legally binding global plastic pollution treaty.

In 2024, the fifth round of negotiations took place in Busan, South Korea, but the meeting ended without consensus, which led to delegates to reconvene in Geneva on Aug. 5. The session included 1,400 government delegates that represented 183 countries. It also drew some 70 ministers, vice ministers and about 30 additional senior officials, who took part in informal discussions alongside the negotiations.

Indigenous leaders and environmentalists stood outside of the UN headquarters in Geneva as negotiations began. The grassroots movements called for a treaty that would respect and consider Indigenous rights and ecological knowledge, because Indigenous communities have often been excluded from global climate decisions. Other demonstrators were associated with the Break Free From Plastic movement, a worldwide movement that campaigns for long-term solutions, such as decreasing the production of single-use plastics. However, the session that was meant to deliver the world’s first global plastic treaty, ended with 184 countries failing to reach consensus.

Luis Vayas of Ecuador, the Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee Ambassador, presented two drafts that were considered by some nations as “unacceptable” and “repulsive” for being too weak. During the talks, China, the world’s largest plastic producer, emerged to side with the ambitious nations supporting stricter regulations. By contrast, the U.S., the second largest plastic producer, joined nations that resisted strong treaty provisions. The nations were caught between focusing on prevention or mitigation of the issue. On Aug. 15, a revised draft was released, but it failed to persuade the delegates due to the voluntary wording of the draft, lack of clear restrictions on harmful plastic and weak funding plan.

“It is deeply frustrating that the treaty failed to reach consensus at the Geneva talks. In order to combat environmental challenges, including the current inadequacies in plastic recycling infrastructure, we must take immediate and decisive action to limit the production of new, virgin plastic. Until that can be achieved, we can improve our awareness of proper recycling. For instance, a recyclable food package that has food remnants stuck inside cannot be recycled as they will ruin the whole batch and only increase landfill volume,” Moumitam Biswas, Science Department, said.

This was a heavy disappointment to the global business community, with the International Chamber of Commerce highlighting the urgent need for a worldwide framework that would guide investment and innovation in reducing plastic waste. The rise in concern comes from the fact that the annual plastic production now exceeds 460 million metric tons, per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). If this crisis is left unchecked, it is expected that plastic production will triple by 2060.

The failed Geneva talks highlighted the significant divide that remains among the international community over the issue of plastic pollution. With no legal binding agreement, the responsibility falls back on nations, local governments and the citizens themselves.

“On a local scale, we can use reusable textile bags for grocery shopping and refillable metal water bottles to ensure that we leave as small of an ecological footprint as possible. We can also advocate to legislators for policies banning single-use plastics,” Senior Mihika Moghe said.

Despite stagnation in diplomatic cooperation, environmental non-profits and advocacy groups across the globe have taken significant action. For example, Notpla is a sustainable startup in the United Kingdom that creates fully biodegradable, seaweed-based alternatives to single-use plastics across multiple sectors, such as foodservice and e-commerce. Meanwhile, Health Care Without Harm is an international non-profit that aims to decrease the environmental footprint of healthcare; in partnership with the World Health Organization, it plans to work closely with hospitals, health systems, and governments to cut unnecessary plastics and ensure that human health remains central in future negotiations. While taking action in their own positions, allies remain hopeful for a future treaty that will truly protect both people and the planet.

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