A “Nice Wake-Up Call” for Plastics Pollution Treaty

RITURAJ PHUKAN

Delegates at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC)issued a powerful “Nice Wake‑Up Call” demanding a robust, science-aligned global plastics treaty.

This declaration on World Oceans Day, reaffirmed the commitment of the 95 participating countries from the French city of Nice.

The calls comes ahead of the next round of UN treaty negotiations on a global plastics treaty slated for August, in the city of Geneva.

These nations are uniting behind five core elements considered essential for a treaty that can truly and sustainably tackle plastic pollution.

These include a comprehensive lifecycle approach encompassing everything from production and design to disposal, a ban on harmful chemicals & problematic products, smart product design facilitating reuse, repair, and recycling, strong implementation mechanisms and built-in adaptability so the treaty can evolve as science and markets change.

“A robust treaty promises to regulate not only waste, but also the production of plastics, curbing the problem at its source. The next months will test whether states are ready to back up rhetoric with legal teeth, financial commitments, and real action. Failure means watching plastic continue to choke our planet. Nice was a moment of promise with 95 nations pledging to support treaty goals.”

A treaty at the crossroads

In late 2024, the plastic treaty negotiations in Busan, South Korea, ended when nations failed to agree on whether the treaty should focus on limiting plastic production or on managing plastic waste. Oil-exporting nations successfully resisted caps on plastic output, insisting the dialogue focus instead on waste management and recycling.

Following months of stagnation, the “Nice Wake‑Up Call” creates a new momentum. The declaration also warned that “A treaty that lacks these elements, only relies on voluntary measures or does not address the full lifecycle of plastics will not be effective.”

Plastic pollution remains a leading menace to marine lifeand human health. According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, global plastic output reached over 400 million tonnes in 2024, with roughly one-third used once and discarded. This equates to dumping more than 2,000 garbage trucks’ worth of plastic into waterways every day.

Alarmingly, only 9 % of plastic is recycled worldwide, while about 11 million tonnes end up in oceans annually, accounting for 80 % of marine debris.

UN human rights experts insist the treaty must embed a human rights-based approach, demanding transparency around chemical use, waste data, producers’ accountability, and a global polluter-pays fund. Otherwise, nations with less capacity may unfairly shoulder cleanup costs

Building momentum in Nice

At UNOC, the plastics treaty push aligned with other critical marine initiatives. These include the High Seas Treaty of 2023 that aims to protect international waters and the “30 × 30” biodiversity agenda that calls for safeguarding 30 % of marine environments by 2030.

India joined the call, committing to swift High Seas Treaty ratification and an “ambitious, legally binding” plastics accord. The UK pledged to support both agreements and to ban destructive bottom trawling in half of its marine protected areas.

A major challenge overshadowing Nice was deep-sea mining. The US President’s recent push to fast-track seabed mineral extraction was a cause for concern. Greenpeace and others are calling for an outright moratorium, a plea echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron.The issue remains contentious, so deep-sea mining did not appear in the final UNOC declaration

Negotiators will reconvene in Geneva, 5–14 August, for the next session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee. The zero draft now includes production limits and chemical restrictions, but the treaty’s fate hinges on whether nations move beyond soft pledges and nail down binding obligations

A robust treaty promises to regulate not only waste, but also the production of plastics, curbing the problem at its source.The next months will test whether states are ready to back up rhetoric with legal teeth, financial commitments, and real action. Failure means watching plastic continue to choke our planet.Nice was a moment of promise with 95 nations pledging to support treaty goals.

Rituraj Phukan: Founder, Indigenous People’s Climate Justice Forum; Co-Founder, Smily Academy ;National Coordinator for Biodiversity, The Climate Reality Project India; Member, IUCN Wilderness Specialist Group; Commission Member – IUCN WCPA Climate Change, IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation, IUCN WCPA Indigenous People and Protected Areas Specialist Groups, IUCN WCPA South Asia Region and IUCN WCPA-SSC Invasive Alien Species Task Force; Member, International Antarctic Expedition 2013; Climate Force Arctic 2019 ; Ambassador, Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary. Rituraj Phukan is the Climate Editor, Mahabahu.

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