GENEVA: On the eve of the penultimate day of negotiations for a legally binding global plastics treaty, talks are in deadlock — and India has thrown its weight behind the petrochemical-producing Like-Minded Countries (LMC), accepting a weakened draft text that drops production caps and chemical controls as merely a “starting point” for talks.
“We have some serious concerns on the text proposed by you, as we see many fundamental elements (scope) missing from the text,” said Naresh Pal Gangwar, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and head of India’s delegation. “Having said this, we consider this as a good enough starting point to further our work… We also urge other member states to have trust in your leadership and express their concern during the consultation process.”
The new draft, released by Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso, just ahead of the scheduled plenary on Wednesday evening, retains voluntary measures on product redesign, recycling, and waste management but deletes a previous article on production limits and omits all reference to chemicals of concern. The only nod to production appears in the preamble — a symbolic gesture far from the binding commitments sought by more than 100 countries.
India’s alignment with the LMC, led by Kuwait and including Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Malaysia, places it firmly in the camp resisting upstream measures that target the root cause of plastic pollution — the sheer volume of plastic being produced. The bloc has consistently opposed any global phase-out list, production caps, or trade restrictions on plastic products.
The EU and its 27 member states blasted the draft, saying it “doesn’t meet the minimum requirements and falls short of UNEA 5/14,” and called for reinstating strong, binding measures to curb virgin plastic output. Norway, co-chair of the High Ambition Coalition, said the text was “not acceptable as it stands.” Colombia outright rejected it as “imbalanced,” drawing applause from observers and high-ambition delegations.
Saudi Arabia called the text “a milestone”. Chile and Panama warned the proposal failed to meet the scale of the crisis.
Civil society leaders accused the chair of delivering a treaty tailored to petrochemical industry demands. “Without polymers and chemicals, there are no plastic products. This text will do nothing… to address plastic pollution,” said Swathi Seshadri of IEEFA. David Azoulay of CIEL described it as “a mockery” that would “ensure nothing will change” and warned it locks in plastic production growth indefinitely.
Ana Rocha of GAIA condemned the removal of Article 6 on production cuts and the absence of an objective to “end plastic pollution,” saying it had been reduced to “a weak, waste-management” agreement.
Valdivieso defended the proposal as a “thoughtfully balanced framework” that reflects “red lines, sensitivities, aspirations, and goals” of all sides, urging delegates to push toward a second draft in the limited time remaining.
With just one day of scheduled negotiations left, the divide between production-cut advocates and petrochemical-aligned states shows no sign of narrowing. There will be a closing plenary on Thursday before which a second draft will be readied during the regional consultations and bilaterals.