As 180 countries carry on talks in Geneva to finalise a global treaty on plastic pollution, oil-producing nations – backed by a record number of industry lobbyists – are pushing to block cuts in production and focus instead on recycling. The decision could determine whether the agreement tackles plastics at the source or sticks to waste management.
The negotiations, which end on Thursday after nine days, come as plastic waste has doubled between 2000 and 2020. The OECD warns it could top 1.2 billion tonnes a year by 2060 if trends continue.
The first week of talks ran over schedule and ended without a clear draft, as countries remained split on the treaty’s purpose and scope. Negotiations began two and a half years ago, but major divisions persist.
Plastic production relies heavily on fossil fuels. A 2022 study by China’s Tsinghua University found 98 percent of plastic came from fossil sources, making the sector closely tied to oil and gas.
Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran are at the heart of what environmental groups call a “petrochemical bloc” opposed to production cuts. In previous talks in Busan, South Korea, last November, these countries rejected measures to limit plastics.
They were joined by Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
“The United States takes similar positions,” said Delphine Lévi Alvarès, international campaign officer at the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL). “They all produce oil and invest in plastic production, at home or abroad.”
Observers say these states share a common interest in expanding their petrochemical industries.
“They are therefore not interested in limiting possibilities for expansion in this sector," said said Francis Perrin, research director at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS).
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Plastic profits
For oil producers, plastics have become a way to secure revenue as demand for fossil fuels in transport and energy slows.
“In the coming years it is very likely that oil demand for the transport sector will stagnate... Petrochemicals and plastics will be the main drivers of growth in global oil consumption,” Perrin added.
Campaigners see the same trend as part of a bigger strategy to keep fossil fuel extraction viable.
“There is a real issue for these countries to be able to continue justifying fossil fuel extraction and finding new outlets,” Lévi Alvarès warned.
Saudi Arabia has made petrochemicals central to its Vision 2030 development plan.
“Petrochemicals is seen as a key sector in terms of diversifying the Saudi economy,” said Perrin. “For Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, this diversification is essential for the kingdom’s economic and social future.”
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Lobby power
A CIEL analysis shows 234 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists registered for the Geneva talks – more than the combined delegations of all 27 EU member states plus the European Union itself.
Nineteen lobbyists are part of national delegations, including Egypt, Kazakhstan, China, Iran, Chile and the Dominican Republic. Dow and the American Chemistry Council each sent seven lobbyists, while ExxonMobil sent six.
Industry lobbyists outnumber the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastic Treaty – a network of researchers advising governments on plastic pollution – nearly four to one, and the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Plastics almost seven to one.
Campaigners say the imbalance shows the scale of corporate influence at a critical point in the talks.
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Recycling focus challenged
Oil-producing states argue the treaty should focus on recycling, which they say only becomes a problem “at the end of its life”. Lévi Alvarès calls this “a distraction tactic”, pointing out that just 9 percent of global plastic waste is recycled.
These states also argue for “the right to determine their own industrial development curve themselves”.
Campaigners warn that this position risks weakening the treaty and ignoring scientific advice to cut production.
“Four days into the final Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, we are not on track to deliver a treaty that will protect people and nature,” CIEL and other groups said in a joint statement.
“After three years of trying to work by consensus, the negotiations are now at a breaking point.”
