ASH joins the Cease Tobacco Air pollution Alliance in attending the second session of the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Convention (INC-5.2) of the United Nations Treaty to Finish Plastic Air pollution in Geneva, Switzerland, from August 5 – 14, 2025. ASH’s Govt Director, Laurent Huber, will share updates and progress right here for our group to remain engaged and knowledgeable.
August 12, 2025 – On the eighth day of the ultimate spherical of negotiations to develop a treaty addressing plastic air pollution, Geneva sweltered at 100°F—however there was nonetheless no significant settlement in sight. This, regardless of a loud and clear plea from youth leaders to governments: “If you happen to don’t act now, future generations might be left cleansing up a large number they didn’t create.”
As European Commissioner for the Atmosphere Jessika Roswall put it, “Discussions thus far have been troublesome.” Certainly, after a full week, nations have but to agree on even the treaty’s goal or scope. Excessive-ambition nations are calling for upstream measures and caps on plastic manufacturing, whereas plastic-producing nations proceed to push for a weaker settlement targeted solely on waste administration.
Progress has additionally stalled on defining standards for phasing out problematic single-use plastics. Plastic-producing nations are resisting the institution of a binding record or agreed-upon standards for elimination, arguing as an alternative that every nation ought to determine for itself—additional delaying a much-needed world answer.
