With global annual plastic production exceeding 430 million tonne and only 10 per cent of it being recycled, the world’s plastic pollution is here to stay – unless we shift the focus from managing plastic waste to addressing the entire life cycle. In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) adopted the historic resolution 5/14 to develop a legally binding global instrument to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The resolution paved the way for the establishment of an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to bring together all the UN member states to negotiate the treaty.

After five rounds of intense negotiations between November 2022 and December 2024, the INC 5.2 is scheduled to reconvene in Geneva, Switzerland from August 5-14, 2025 with the ambition of finalising the negotiations on the global plastic treaty.

To support this process, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), GRID-Arendal, and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) are partnering to organise a series of webinars aimed at informing and engaging citizens and stakeholders to strengthen the collective call for an ambitious global plastic treaty – one that addresses the full life cycle of plastics.

These initiatives and interactions are a part of CSE’s plastic pollution campaign – Planet over Plastics.