Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations and Regional Policy Action

KEY INSIGHTS

  • Plastic pollution is a life-cycle issue: Microplastics originate largely from upstream production, product design, and chemical additives, not just from mismanaged waste. This framing underpins both the UN plastics treaty negotiations and regional policy proposals.
  • Microplastics science is driving regulation: Evidence of widespread microplastic exposure has elevated plastics from a marine litter issue to a human health and freshwater policy priority. This shift has directly influenced proposals to regulate plastics through chemical management, monitoring requirements, and production controls.
  • Negotiations hinge on production limits versus downstream management: Global treaty talks are stalled over whether to include binding reductions in plastic production versus focusing mainly on waste and recycling.
  • Monitoring and identification are foundational to policy action:Proposals in the Great Lakes region, including microplastics monitoring in drinking water and designation as a Chemical of Mutual Concern under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement highlight that credible, standardized monitoring data is essential for setting thresholds, tracing sources, and justifying regulatory action.
  • Leadership and governance shape outcomes as much as science: After repeated negotiation deadlocks, the selection of a new INC chair at INC-5.3 is widely seen as pivotal. Effective leadership is needed to rebuild trust, broker compromise, and translate scientific consensus into politically viable treaty text.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR MONITORING, POLICY, AND RESEARCH

  • Supports basin-wide and global coordination: A legally binding global treaty, aligned with regional agreements like the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), can harmonize monitoring, reporting, and regulatory approaches across borders and scales.
  • Links science to enforceable policy: Designation of microplastics as a Chemical of Mutual Concern and proposed drinking-water monitoring requirements demonstrate how scientific evidence can trigger formal regulatory processes rather than remain advisory.
  • Enables targeted, preventive interventions: Life-cycle approaches, such as extended producer responsibility, packaging reduction targets, and product design standards, address pollution at its source.
MP researchers at meeting

RESEARCH PROCESS

Researcher engagement and contribution
Researchers from the Microplastics Fingerprinting project participated in the global plastics treaty process as official observers at INC-4 in Ottawa, through the University of Waterloo’s Water Institute. The delegation engaged directly with treaty discussions on plastic production, chemicals of concern, extended producer responsibility, and monitoring, gaining first-hand insight into how scientific evidence is being used, and where gaps remain.

The team also participated in a private roundtable with Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, sharing scientific perspectives on microplastics sources, monitoring challenges, and the importance of standardized identification methods. This engagement demonstrates how research expertise can support evidence-based decision-making, even when not directly informing treaty text.

Role of science in the negotiations
Scientific research has been central to elevating plastics from a waste issue to a global environmental and human health concern. Key assessments by UNEP and independent scientific commissions have highlighted life-cycle impacts, chemical risks, and knowledge gaps, reinforcing the need for comprehensive regulation rather than downstream cleanup alone. Scientists have also emphasized that substitutes and alternatives must be evaluated carefully using life-cycle assessments to avoid unintended consequences.

Brief background on the treaty process
Global plastics treaty negotiations were launched in 2022 through a UN Environment Assembly resolution establishing the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop a legally binding agreement addressing plastic pollution across its full life cycle. While governments have advanced draft treaty text, negotiations stalled in August 2025 (INC-5.2) due to disagreements over production limits, chemical controls, and binding obligations.

NEXT STEPS FOR GLOBAL AGREEMENT

Current Status of the INC Negotiations

  • INC negotiations continue but remain stalled: The process to negotiate a legally binding global plastics treaty, established by a UN Environment Assembly resolution in March 2022, has convened multiple sessions but has not yet produced a final treaty text.

Next Steps in the INC Process

  • Leadership transition and preparation: Following the election of a new Chair at INC-5.3 (Feb 7, 2026), the Committee is expected to restart substantive negotiations. The new leadership is seen as key to reconciling longstanding disagreements and rebuilding trust among member states.
  • INC-5.4 and beyond: Governments are preparing to convene INC-5.4 later in 2026, where substantive treaty text negotiations will resume. The exact dates and location have not yet been announced but are expected once leadership is in place.
  • Focus areas for resumed talks: Key areas likely to be central in future negotiation rounds include:
    • Scope of the treaty (life-cycle vs. waste-focused approaches)
    • Plastic production limits and chemical controls
    • Binding obligations vs voluntary measures
    • Support mechanisms for implementation (financial, technical)

These unresolved topics were the major sticking points at INC-5.2 and remain priorities for discussion when substantive talks resume.

RESEARCHERS & COLLABORATORS

Goucher

Nancy Goucher
Knowledge Mobilization Specialist
The Water Institute


Waslander

Elanor Waslander
Knowledge Mobilization Specialist
The Water Institute

KEY REPORTS, PROCESSES & POLICY REFERENCES

  • United Nations Environment Assembly Resolution (2022): Establishing the INC to negotiate a global plastics treaty
  • Earth Negotiations Bulletin, INC-5.2 Summary Report (August 2025)
  • IISD, Key Considerations for an Effective Plastics Treaty
  • Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, Annex 3 (Chemicals of Mutual Concern)
  • Michigan Bills 6163, 6164 (Microplastics monitoring) and HB 5902 (Extended Producer Responsibility)
  • Ontario Bill 279, Environmental