New UN Plastic Treaty is Going Backward, Experts Warn

Negotiators meeting in Nairobi between June 30 and July 3, aiming to flesh out a new “no surprises” document, produced a draft UN plastic treaty that non-governmental organizations warn is less ambitious than the previous one, hampered by tenuous human health commitments and lobbying from the plastics industry.

According to experts, the informal talks aimed to establish a new “no surprises” document one year after UN plastics treaty negotiations collapsed in Geneva in 2025. Non-governmental organizations report that the text has shed critical provisions needed to curb global pollution.

The Scope of Global Plastic Pollution

The world produces over 462 million tons of plastic every year, with 90 percent of that material ultimately polluting the planet, according to data from the World Wildlife Fund. Single-use items like cutlery, packaging, and microplastics from textiles drive much of this contamination.

Between 9 million and 14 million tons of plastic waste enter the oceans annually. The World Wildlife Fund notes that pollution now reaches every corner of the globe, from the deepest seas to the most remote mountains, threatening wildlife, ecosystems, and human health.

Without immediate intervention, global plastic pollution could double by 2040, reaching 280 million metric tons per year. That increase equates to a dump truck every second entering our environment, according to World Wildlife Fund figures.

Divergent Paths on Treaty Ambition

The current Nairobi discussions contrast sharply with the momentum generated in March 2022. At that time, the UN Environmental Assembly in Nairobi saw 175 nations vote to adopt a global treaty for plastic pollution, agreeing on an accelerated timeline.

While the Ellen MacArthur Foundation emphasizes that a successful treaty must address the full plastics lifecycle to design a circular economy by eliminating problematic products and chemicals of concern, current negotiations have faced headwinds. Non-governmental organizations point to industry lobbying and tenuous health commitments as key drivers behind the weakening text.

Voluntary measures and country-driven efforts have proved ineffective, according to the World Wildlife Fund, which advocates for legally binding and equitable global agreements. These agreements would define tangible steps to phase out high-risk plastic, including single-use items and excessive packaging.