Midway into the ongoing Plastics Treaty negotiations, set to conclude on Thursday, August 14, the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) says there is growing consensus among delegates on the urgent need to protect human health from toxic chemicals in plastics.
More than 80 countries, including most of the African Group of Negotiators, have endorsed a joint proposal from Switzerland and Mexico aimed at establishing global controls on hazardous plastic chemicals.
The proposal outlines measures to regulate toxic substances, ensure transparency and traceability in plastic products, and set legally binding obligations—similar to frameworks in the Stockholm and Basel Conventions.
After years of stalled progress, last Friday’s stocktake plenary was seen as a pivotal moment for the INC 5.2 Chair and member states to push for a vote and break the consensus-only decision-making system that some oil- and plastic-producing nations have used to block stronger measures.
While many high-ambition countries expressed frustration, African negotiators have remained united in their demands.
“So far, the INC negotiation process is broken. We are in damage-control mode due to the failure to vote against consensus, which keeps the process in uncertainty,” said Dr. Leslie Adogame, Executive Director of SRADeV Nigeria, an IPEN participating organisation. “It is time to break the procedural deadlock.”
Progress remains slow, largely due to what IPEN describes as obstructive tactics by oil-producing nations.
The network has called for procedural reforms, similar to those adopted in other environmental agreements, to allow voting when consensus is impossible.
Yuyun Ismawati, IPEN Co-chair and Co-founder of Indonesia’s Nexus3 Foundation, urged negotiators to focus on the original mandate:
“As plastic production is forecast to triple in the coming decades, the only way to meet the goal of ending plastic pollution is by limiting plastic production and controlling toxic chemicals.
A meaningful Plastics Treaty is urgently needed.”
IPEN has also raised concerns over the exclusion of key observers—including scientists, Indigenous peoples, and labour representatives—from critical discussions, warning that closed-door sessions risk sidelining the voices of those most affected.
Pamela Miller, IPEN Co-chair and Executive Director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics, said:
“The Treaty deliberations must be open and accessible to those who know first-hand how toxic plastics affect human health and the right to a healthy environment. We will hold negotiators accountable for delivering the protections the world needs.”
Reporting by Innocent Onoh