The ongoing negotiations surrounding a Global Agreement Against Plastic Pollution have reached a critical point in Nairobi, Kenya, as talks continue through the third of five five-year sessions up to 2024. Persistent pressure from the petrochemical sector is shaping the debate and creating obstacles to cutting plastic production, which many experts view as the most effective way to slash waste at the source.
Civil society groups and conservation bodies participating in this round report that industry interests are jeopardizing the Global Plastics Agreement process. The aim of the summit remains to outline the core components of a final treaty that would be finalized in the fifth and last round, planned for the end of next year. However, negotiators have yet to agree on a minimal text due to divergent national positions: some countries advocate modest steps, while others push for a more ambitious, binding framework.
The United Nations has sponsored meetings aimed at crafting a detailed, legally binding instrument that covers the full life cycle of plastics. The effort seeks concrete measures to limit plastic production globally and curb pollution at every stage—from design to end-of-life management.
After seven days of discussions, the third session missed the chance to establish the foundations for the ambitious program. It would have set targets, action plans, and timelines for reducing global plastic production, along with monitoring and accountability mechanisms for those targets, according to representatives of the Free Plastic coalition.
That coalition, a network of experts and activists opposing plastic pollution, notes that member states still have an opportunity to secure one of the most significant environmental agreements in history by the end of 2024. Yet with only two negotiation rounds remaining, they call for a robust conflict-of-interest policy and a reconsideration of how to handle countries that deliberately stall the process.
143 chemical and fossil fuel industry lobby groups attended the Nairobi meeting
“Fossil fuel and petrochemical lobbies must be held accountable and must not interfere in negotiations”, said Diane Beaumenay-Joannet of Surfrides Foundation Europe. Jacob Kean-Hammerson, head of the UK Environmental Investigation Agency, described the final stage of the agreement as looking “complicated” and urged the most influential countries to stand firm against attempts by major oil producers to derail the talks.
A meeting crowded with plastic advocates
Civil organizations flagged the presence of a large number of players, noting a 36% increase in industry lobby groups at Nairobi compared with the previous gathering. Representatives from petrochemical lobby groups described the attendance as significantly higher than the 38 participants aligned with the Coalition of Scientists for an Effective Plastics Agreement.
Countries involved in this sector favor national strategies to reduce pollution caused by plastics, tailored to local needs and challenges. At the same time, the Ambition Coalition urges stronger, universal rules—a binding agreement with common criteria that drives a concerted global effort to curb plastic production as much as possible.
During this meeting, it was decided that the next negotiating round will take place in Ottawa, Canada, in April 2024, with the final session scheduled for Busan, Republic of Korea, in November of the same year.
………………….
Contact details for the environmental department have been removed from this article to maintain privacy and focus on the public record of the talks.