Among the dangers for biodiversity, plastic is the subject of discussions in its own right with a view to an international treaty to stem its proliferation. After several failures, negotiations have resumed but the promoters of this material of globalization seem more influential than ever.
International discussions concerning a treaty on plastic pollution have been stalling since 2022, but they have resumed and an agreement in March is within reach, the Chilean diplomat who chairs them, Julio Cordano, assured AFP in early October. However, the context has never seemed so unfavorable for an ambitious text, to which the French Ministry of Ecological Transition nevertheless says it remains “attached”.
Some fear a cheap text, leaving States the choice of whether or not to limit the production or use of certain additives. This was requested in May by OPEC, which brings together many oil-producing countries.
Even Europe, which has long proclaimed itself to be at the forefront in the fight against plastic, now seems to give priority to the defense of industry, including that dependent on hydrocarbons.
This is evidenced by a project that the British petrochemical manufacturer Ineos plans to start in the second half of 2027 in Belgium: an ethylene cracker which will produce raw materials, particularly for plastic bags or bottles.
“Since the Covid-19 epidemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, concerns about the cost of living, European Union officials have backpedaled in relation to their great ambitions on the climate and plastic pollution,” observes Beth Gardiner, author of the book “Plastic Inc.”.
Powerful companies weigh in on the public debate: oil giants like ExxonMobil or Saudi Aramco, big names in chemistry (Borealis, Dow, LyondellBasell, etc.), but also agribusiness or mass distribution empires, large users of this versatile and inexpensive material.
Plastics in all their forms are also an increasingly significant outlet for the production of hydrocarbons, as transport, the main user sector, becomes electrified.
The United States of Donald Trump, the Gulf petromonarchies, and Russia of Vladimir Putin are categorically opposed to limiting the manufacture of plastic. China, a major producer, too.
Environmental defenders, however, make a reduction in production, supported by scientific studies, a condition sine qua non to really tackle the problem of plastic pollution.
By seeking an unambitious consensus, “we will fail to really” respond to the problem “and protect human health and the environment,” believes the NGO Surfrider.
The subject is major: resulting in the vast majority from the production of hydrocarbons, the production of plastics emits a lot of greenhouse gases, responsible for climate change, and generates waste with very slow degradation.
The effects on human health of this material, the most manufactured in the world after cement and steel, are also increasingly documented. However, plastic production is expected to triple by 2060.
During informal talks at the end of September, around 70 emerging countries led by Mexico indicated that they “do not want a treaty based on the lowest common denominator”, underlines the NGO CIEL (Center for International Environmental Law).
But the list of signatory countries is not public, for fear of “retaliation” from influential states, according to several sources. In this context, some are wondering whether it is not preferable to collapse the current discussions, while waiting for a more favorable political situation.
Countries that really want to act can already do so, agreement or not, the NGO Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) recalled in May. If the EU, Canada, many countries in Africa or Latin America decided on their own to reduce the production and consumption of plastic, global production could be 16 to 18% lower than the current trend by 2040.
In Europe, the construction of the Ineos factory questions this desire. Presented as emitting less greenhouse gas than its European equivalents, the site will contribute to warming the atmosphere and “engage the region in massive production of raw materials for single-use plastic,” laments the NGO ClientEarth. “This for decades.”
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