After days of negotiations in Busan, South Korea, the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) has ended without a final agreement on a Global Plastics Treaty.

The session concluded with an agreement on a ‘Chair’s Text’ – which will serve as the foundation for future negotiations at INC-5.2, planned for 2025.

Over 3,300 delegates – with Members representing more than 170 nations and Observers from more than 440 organisations, including Reloop – attended the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee.

Reflecting on the week in Busan, Reloop CEO Clarissa Morawski said:

“Even the most obvious solutions – bans and phase-outs of harmful plastics and chemicals, mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and financing for the Global South – have been kicked down the road to next year. In regions without access to basic waste management, the urgent need for technical capacity, infrastructure, collection and treatment systems cannot be overstated. Yet progress remains elusive.”

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) added a stark reminder:

“At UNEA 5.2, the world promised to tackle plastic pollution. Now, at the next round of talks, the world will have the opportunity to finally make that a reality. An opportunity we cannot afford to miss.”

What is INC-5?

In March 2022, at the resumed fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), a historic resolution was adopted to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, also known as the Global Plastics Treaty.

The instrument, according to the resolution, is to be based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic, including its production, design, and disposal.

INC-5 follows four earlier rounds of negotiations:
INC-1: Punta del Este, in November 2022,
INC-2: Paris in June 2023,
INC-3: Nairobi in November 2023,
INC-4: Ottawa in April 2024.