The latest round of negotiations on a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution is underway in Geneva and we will be on the ground, contributing our technical insight, evidence-based research, and strategic expertise to support discussions.
The negotiations, which run until August 14, follow a previous session in 2024 (INC-5.1) that made significant progress towards a deal yet ended without consensus, with critical issues such as production caps, chemical controls, and financing mechanisms still unresolved.
A collective 172 countries, alongside various stakeholders, NGOs, and industry representatives, are working to break the deadlock this year and make meaningful progress on a landmark Global Plastics Treaty.
Eunomia’s work has played a critical role in shaping the evidence base for discussions thus far. We published several reports that informed INC-5.1 negotiations including:
- Exploring Plastic Credit Schemes: Scope, risks and uncertainties – explores plastic credit schemes, including the scope of the market, the risks and uncertainties and the differences from fee-based extended producer responsibility schemes.
- Funding the Implementation of the Plastics Treaty – explores the potential effectiveness of a fee on primary plastic polymers to complement other sources of finance for implementation of the Global Plastics Treaty.
- Aligning the Global Plastics Treaty with <1.5°C – models whether a virgin plastic production reduction target of 40% by 2040 (40×40) could keep the plastics industry within a 1.5°C carbon budget.
- Plastic Money: Turning Off the Subsidies Tap – presents the results of research and modelling to understand the extent of subsidies for primary polymer production and the potential impact of removing these.
We also continue to support negotiations this year. Our new report, developed in partnership with Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), examines the scale of subsidies for primary polymer production (PPP) and models the potential impacts of removing these subsidies on global polymer production volumes and on prices of various consumer products containing plastic. Our analysis found that total global subsidies to producers of plastic polymers and their monomers were USD 80 billion in 2024, and under a business-as-usual scenario, these could increase to USD 150 billion by 2050, with global production of commodity polymers rising to 590 million tonnes.
Alongside this, our recent research for Reloop found that even with partial uptake, a fee of US$ 90 per tonne on global primary plastic polymer production could provide significant additional funds to complement traditional sources of finance, which are projected to leave a funding gap of between US $350 and US $500 billion by 2040. The benefits of this additional revenue are assessed at regional level, applying a needs-based approach to distribution of revenues among developing countries.
Our expert Ayesha Bapasola, who will be in Geneva for the negotiations, said: “Whether consensus is reached at INC-5.2 or an alternative way forward must be found, we remain committed to supporting the process with impartial, science-based insight. This is a critical juncture for global plastic governance, and it’s vital that decisions are grounded in robust evidence and practical implementation pathways.”
