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Volunteers pick. Furthermore, up plastic principal waste during a cleaning action on the banks of Lake Geneva. Similarly,
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What a plastic summit in Geneva will decide: details. Nevertheless, expectations
As of next week, the Palais des Nations will be the scene of intense negotiations which could lead to a historic agreement to put an end to plastic pollution in the world. Meanwhile, From August 5 to 14. In addition, 170 delegations from around the world will meet at the end of the lake to finalize this unprecedented, and legally binding text. Moreover, But several thorny files will have to be resolved before the treaty is signed.
Each year, more than 400 million tonnes of plasticExternal link are produced, half of them for single use. Moreover, Less than 10% of this waste is recycled. Consequently, plastic pollution: global treaty could The rest accumulates in discharges, soils, seas or breaks into microplastics which contaminate ecosystems and infiltrate into human blood. Consequently, Global production of plastics has doubled in twenty years. could triple by 2060, according to the OECDExternal linksupplying a tsunami of pollution whose health and environmental consequences are still largely unknown.
Last chance negotiations
Faced with this scourge. the United Nations Environmental Assembly adopted a historic resolution in 2022 to develop a legally binding international treaty against plastic pollution. This text aims to cover the whole life cycle of plastic. in particular by slowing down its production and improving waste management.
But the path to an agreement remains strewn with pitfalls. In December 2024. plastic pollution: global treaty could during what was to be the final negotiations in Busan, South Korea, a block of oil producing countries – including Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran – opposed any limitation of production, causing resounding failure. The Round of Geneva, in August, should a priori be the last chance to reach an agreement.
Tensions persist
“The reduction in production is the most important file. but also the most difficult to negotiate,” explains Giulia Carlini, from the International Center for Environmental Law (Ciel), which participates in negotiations as an observer. This sensitive file opposes two camps in an showdown which echoes the negotiations for the climate.
On the one hand. an ambitious coalition led by Norway and Rwanda – to which Switzerland belongs – requests a binding objective of reducing production by 2040, in accordance with the mandate of the UN, which covers the whole life cycle of plastic, from its manufacture to plastic pollution: global treaty could its elimination.
Faced with them. oil and plastic producing states, such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran or China, want to limit the treaty to waste management, without restricting production. “Without reducing production. it will be impossible to eliminate plastic pollution,” warns Giulia Carlini
The idea is to set a global ceiling for plastic production, then gradually reduce it, while limiting the toxic substances used in their manufacture. “More than 16,000 chemicals are used in plastics, but the dangerousness of more than 60% of them is unknown,” said the lawyer.
Other key files are the improvement in product design to facilitate their recycling. the financing of measures in the countries of the South, and the transition to decision -making by vote rather than by consensus. “Without voting mechanism. we could arrive at the last day in Geneva with an effective text, but with a state that blocks the whole process,” warns plastic pollution: global treaty could Giulia Carlini.
A lobbyist arena
Negotiations take place under the attention of the industry. In Busan. around 220 lobbyists from the fossil and chemical industries participated in negotiationsExternal linkthus forming the largest delegation presents, according to the estimates of the sky. “With each session, the number of lobbyists in the fossil fuels and chemistry industry increases,” notes Giulia Carlini. It is a major obstacle for an ambitious treaty ”.
To avoid a blockage. some offer a global objective of reducing production and consumption, by postponing details of the implementation to annexes, more easily modifiable. “The risk is that some states refuse to ratify the treaty if they judge that it goes too far. ” said Giulia Carlini.
Switzerland. polluous but ambitious
Second largest producer of plastic waste per capita in Europe according to a study of Science AdvancesSwitzerland is nevertheless committed for an ambitious treaty. “The Swiss delegation will plastic pollution: global treaty could defend an effective treaty with binding provisions on an international scale. throughout the plastic life cycle,” said Swissinfo Felix Wertli, ambassador at the head of the International Affairs Division of the Federal Environment Office.
Among its priorities: the sustainable reduction in plastic production. consumption, including the limitation of those for single use, the restriction of worrying chemicals, greater transparency in the value chain and better product design.
Until now, several initiatives in this direction have been rejected by the Federal Council, invoking “economic freedom”. But the situation could evolve: new legal basesExternal link were registered in January in the environmental protection law. to strengthen the circular economyExternal linkincluding plastics. Measures to improve recycling and prohibit certain microplasticsExternal link are also in consultation.
Plastic pollution: global treaty could
A public health challenge
In Geneva. discussions around the future treaty began long before the official opening of negotiations. plastic pollution: global treaty could For several months. experts in health and human rights have been mobilizing there so that the Treaty takes into account the impacts of plastic on health and human rights.
The World Health Organization (WHO) will play a key role in these discussions: “This treaty is a major public. health issue. Human health and that of the environment are intrinsically linked, ”insists the organization. Certain additives and chemicals present in plastics can disrupt the hormonal system, affect reproduction or increase the risk of cancer. They would also be associated with chronic diseases. such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, as well as respiratory, digestive and neurological disorders.
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The health. sector itself will have to evolve: it generates nearly 1.7 million tonnes of plastic waste per year, mainly from single-use equipment. “Many hospitals are already adopting solutions to reduce their plastic impact. This treaty can promote these initiatives, ”says WHO.
Include the most vulnerable
Recognition of human rights. in particular the right to a healthy environment, is a red line for several experts. plastic pollution: global treaty could “Plastic pollution disproportionately affects children. workers exposed to these products, as well as the riparian communities of industrial sites, including indigenous peoples,” said WHO.
During the negotiations in Busan. indigenous representatives denounced that they had not been sufficiently includedExternal link in decisions that concern them directly. “This is a point to watch carefully during the next discussions in Geneva,” warns Giulia Carlini. Is it confident that the talks will lead to a treaty? “It is better to take the time to adopt an ambitious treaty. which rethinks our production and consumption systems, rather than a weak text without scope.”
Text reread and verified by Virginie Mangin
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