The Global Treaty on Plastic fell apart - so what happens now?

From Afternoons, 1:35 pm on 19 August 2025

The latest attempt to finalise a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution fell apart on Friday.

Countries that produce oil want to focus on waste management, and countries with higher ambitions want to cap plastic production. 

Environmental Law Associate Professor Dr Nathan Cooper from the University of Waikato talks future solutions with Jesse.

Crows come to eat garbage on the beach in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on August 27, 2023. As the United Nations Environment Programme said, every day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world's oceans, rivers, and lakes. Plastic pollution is a global problem. Every year, 19-23 million metric tonnes of plastic waste leak into aquatic ecosystems, polluting lakes, rivers, and seas. (Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto) (Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP)

Photo: THILINA KALUTHOTAGE

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