‘Break free from brackets’: Officials urge plastics treaty talks to move past discussion into legal text

Negotiators are past the midway point of the fifth and final Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting to ink a legally binding treaty on plastics pollution taking place in Busan, South Korea, this week – with not much to show for it.

At a “stocktake” plenary hosted by INC-5 Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso on Wednesday meant for delegates to evaluate the progress made so far on negotiations, member states were instead seen trading highly charged comments.