Page 20 - Plastics News Issue October 2025
P. 20
WEBINAR REPORT
4. INC Structure and Procedures ♦ Brands & major consumers: Large users
such as Apple participated, seeking clarity
4.1 Plenary Sessions
on treaty implications for future operations.
♦ Formal decision-making body with partici-
pation of Member States and Observers The diversity of participants reflected the eco-
(NGOs, registered organisations). nomic, social, and environmental concerns of
different countries, with strong narratives shap-
♦ Functions include opening/closing sessions, ing the negotiations.
adoption of decisions, presentations, and
consensus building. 5. Negotiation Process & Key Texts
♦ Zero Draft (INC-3, Nairobi): Initial treaty
4.2 Contact Groups
framework
Negotiations were organised into four groups:
♦ Revised Text (INC-4, Ottawa): Expanded
1. Plastic products, chemicals, design & pro- draft with inputs
duction
♦ Chair’s Non-Paper (INC-5.1, Busan): Informal
2. Waste management, emissions, existing pol- compromise options
lution, just transition
♦ Chair’s Text (INC-5.2, Geneva): 32 articles
3. Finance, capacity building, technical assis- forming the latest negotiating document
tance, technology transfer
6. Contentious Issues
4. Implementation, compliance, national plans,
reporting, monitoring, scope Article 3 – Plastic Products & Chemicals
♦ Proposals to ban/restrict hazardous chemi-
4.3 Informal and Informal-Informal Meetings
cals.
♦ Held alongside formal sessions for candid
discussions and compromise-building. ♦ Debate over hazard vs. risk assessment and
oversight by UNEP vs. other conventions.
♦ Small, off-the-record groups were crucial in
resolving deadlocks discreetly. ♦ Annexes proposed bans on phthalates,
heavy metals, Bisphenol A, and select sin-
4.4 Composition of Participants at INC 5.2 gle-use products.
♦ Government negotiators: Representatives Article 5 – Product Design
from 170 countries.
♦ Emphasis on reusability, refillability, and re-
♦ Observers: Over 3,000, including NGOs, sci- pairability.
entific coalitions, industry representatives,
raw material manufacturers, processors, and ♦ Concerns over technical feasibility in indus-
waste management experts. trial and packaging applications.
♦ Financial institutions: Engaged on sustain- Article 6 – Production of Primary Plastics
able materials, environmentally sound raw ♦ HAC advocated for global production caps
materials, and governance. to address life-cycle emissions.
20 PLASTICS NEWS October 2025
