Overcoming roadblocks to a global plastic pact | Science

In December 2024, the global community expected the parties at the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) meeting in Busan, South Korea, to produce a landmark treaty to address the planet’s plastic pollution crisis. The event was intended to be the final opportunity for more than 170 United Nations (UN) member states to craft an ambitious pact (1). However, after week-long heated discussions, negotiators failed to develop a consensus. Before the next meeting, scheduled for August 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland, the negotiating parties should work to understand and overcome the factors that stalled the talks (2).