August 11, 2025 | Monday
The majority of countries (over 100 by GAIA’s count) support a binding global production phasedown target to bring the production of primary plastic polymers back to sustainable levels. This has become the defining article under negotiation in the treaty. Plastic is pollution from the moment of fossil fuel extraction to make it. Without legally binding plastic reduction targets, no amount of clean-up can stem the flow of plastic waste. While the majority of countries support retaining production reduction targets in the treaty, that majority must hold strong against the pressure to concede in order to bring a treaty to the finish line, no matter how weak it is. If they do, civil society will have their backs. But if they buckle under the weight of “consensus,” they will go down in history as failing to rise to the occasion when they had the chance to end plastic pollution.
A tactic that is being used by the minority blocker countries to prevent production cuts is to try to not only prevent article 6 from being negotiated, but to redefine the scope of the treaty, even though the scope was already decided at UNEA-5.2, when Member States created a mandate to develop a legally binding plastics treaty that covers the full life-cycle of plastic, which starts at fossil fuel extraction and production. This document created the foundation for the INCs, and the scope was clearly defined. There have been all kinds of creative ways that low-ambition states have tried to ignore the mandate, by insisting illogically that “life-cycle” only pertains to plastic waste, or by arguing for a new article defining scope, ignoring the fact that the scope for the treaty has existed since the beginning. In the stocktake plenary on Saturday, Kuwait, Iran, Russia, and a small group of other countries argued that scope has not been clearly defined, and hours have been spent arguing about scope in Contact Groups. Contact Group 1 convened late into the evening on Monday, and will be discussing Article 6 and scope separately in informal informals on Tuesday.
Informal or Informal Informal?
UN negotiations have their own language full of acronyms and jargon, but the strangest one might be the “informals” and “informal informals.” This unfortunately does not mean that we get to wear flip flops and t-shirts at the Palais des Nations! Essentially these are different configurations of negotiations.
Plenary– Open to all accredited individuals, livestreamed and public.
Contact Groups– Smaller working groups co-chaired by two Member State representatives. All of the proposed articles of the treaty text are divided among four contact groups for further negotiations. Observers may be present in the room.
Informals- Similar to Contact Groups, except Observers are not allowed to be present, only countries. Informals can have more flexibility around facilitation, which is done by one or more Member States.
Informal Informals– a much smaller meeting with 20 or fewer people, with more opportunities for one-on-one conversations that are more– you guessed it– informal in nature. There is no official notetaking in informal informals, and no observers are allowed.
As the talks progress, more and more informals and informal informals are being scheduled, and civil society is therefore given much more limited access to observe the negotiations and ensure transparency.
Ministers Incoming…
According to UNEP, more than 70 Ministers and Vice Ministers, as well as some 30 other high-level representatives, are expected to arrive in Geneva for informal roundtables 12-13 of August. The presence of Ministers makes the INC into a more political space than it already is– Ministers have the power to negotiate amongst themselves, and could be more willing to make compromises for better or for worse. One thing is for sure, the arrival of Ministers has turned up the heat in what is already a heatwave in Geneva.
Civil Society in Action
GAIA members released a video aimed at ambitious Member States, encouraging them to be on the right side of history– keep your promise, fix the process, end plastic pollution!
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About GAIA
GAIA is a worldwide alliance of more than 1,000 grassroots groups, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in over 90 countries. With our work we aim to catalyze a global shift towards environmental justice by strengthening grassroots social movements that advance solutions to waste and pollution. We envision a just, zero waste world built on respect for ecological limits and community rights, where people are free from the burden of toxic pollution, and resources are sustainably conserved, not burned or dumped.
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