UN Member States recently met in Geneva to negotiate a legally-binding, international agreement on plastics aiming to address the entire life cycle of plastics, from design to production and disposal.
Prior to those negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty, a general debate took place in Parliament and I have provided the link to the transcript here:
Global Plastics Treaty - Hansard - UK Parliament
Speaking for the Opposition, my colleague, Robbie Moore MP, Shadow Defra Minister pointed out that,
For decades, we have used plastic in ever more roles and in ever greater amounts. Indeed, plastics have replaced many everyday items that once were made from paper, glass or metal. Plastic may have been the way forward then, but that does not mean it need be the way forward now for everything.
He went on to say that securing an effective global framework to reduce plastic use is key and any agreement should have verifiable targets that can be measured. Naturally, all signatories should be expected to fulfil those obligations and our government will, rightly, continue to be held to account over its action on plastic pollution. However, thanks to action taken by the last Conservative Government, significant progress has already been made to address plastic pollution, including a ban on microbeads and restricting the supply of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. The use of single-use carrier bags in supermarkets has reduced by over 98 per cent.
Also due to action taken by the previous Government, restrictions on a range of single-use plastics, including plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers have come into force. I understand England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery and over 700 million single-use plates per year, but only 10 per cent are recycled. This ban is helping to down on harmful plastic waste.
The Environment Act 2021 sets a target to halve residual waste by 2042. This refers to waste that is sent to landfill, put through incineration, or used in energy recovery in the UK or overseas. This is an intentionally broad target, which will include the most environmentally harmful materials like plastics, rather than banning a single type of material and risk producers moving to a different, more harmful material.
‘For comparison, 80% of the plastics in the ocean originate from Asia, compared with just 0.4% from Europe. Reducing residual waste must be the key pillar of any international treaty on plastic waste.’
Robbie Moore MP, Shadow Defra Minister
Ambitions to create a Global Plastics Treaty by the end of 2024 stemmed from a resolution passed in the United Nations in 2022 and the previous Conservative Government led global efforts to agree the treaty, joining what is called a ‘High Ambition Coalition’ (HAC) of countries which aimed to reinforce the commitment to end plastic pollution. We are clear reducing our plastic use is vital for two key reasons: the first is the horrendous impact on the environment. The second reason is the growing body of research showing that long-term exposure to plastics is incredibly bad for our health. Securing an effective global framework to reduce plastic use is key for the health of the planet and the health of all those living on it. Sadly, as reported at the time, efforts from Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia prevented an agreement being signed before the self-imposed deadline.
In June 2025, the HAC produced its latest statement, signed by 95 countries, including the UK, calling for targets and legally binding obligations:
“We therefore call for the adoption of a global target to reduce the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels, to be regularly adjusted with a view of enhancing the level of ambition. We also call for an obligation for Parties to report on their production, imports and exports of primary plastic polymers, and to take measures across the full lifecycle of plastics to achieve the global target.”
Alongside this, however, another group of countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Cuba and Russia officially formed a group called the “Global Coalition for Plastics Sustainability” also known as the “Like Minded Group of Countries”). This group wants negotiations to focus on ways to recycle plastic. Therefore, the main point of contention in the latest negotiations was whether to include mandatory reduction targets for the production of primary plastic polymers (the raw materials used to manufacture a wide range of plastic products). The Like-Minded Group, which includes some of the most prominent oil-producing nations or petrostates, strenuously oppose such targets, instead favouring a much less ambitious treaty which, while supporting proper management of plastic waste, reject limiting plastic production.
Responding to news of the failure to reach agreement regarding plastic pollution, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “I deeply regret that, despite earnest efforts, negotiations to reach an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, concluded without achieving a consensus.
“I welcome the determination of Member States in continuing to work to beat plastic pollution and keep engaged in the process, united in purpose, to deliver the treaty the world needs to tackle this monumental challenge to people and the environment.”
Like the many constituents who have campaigned on the issue of plastic pollution over the years, I am incredibly disappointed the Labour Government was not successful in securing the robust and practical treaty we all hoped to see.
