People pay the price as Plastics Treaty talks end in deadlock

15 August 2025, Geneva, Switzerland/Quezon City, Philippines—After two years of negotiations, governments in Geneva once again failed to agree on a Global Plastics Treaty strong enough to end the plastic crisis—choosing delay and division over decisive action to protect people and the planet.

Greenpeace Philippines’ Zero Waste Campaigner Marian Ledesma, who is in Geneva attending the talks, said:

“This is not progress; it’s paralysis. Governments left Geneva empty-handed again, while unchecked plastic production—the real driver of this crisis—keeps accelerating. What the world needs is a reset, not another replay of failure. Every day of delay lets the fossil fuel and plastic industry escape accountability, while communities like ours are left to pick up the pieces and pay the price.

“Let’s call it what it is: the heavy hand of fossil fuel and plastics lobbyists is setting these negotiations up for failure. Their presence at the table is not about solutions but sabotage, undermining the calls of most governments—including the Philippines—for a strong, legally binding treaty that cuts plastic production, protects human health, provides just and equitable financing, and addresses the full lifecycle of plastics from extraction to disposal. A few bad actors must not be allowed to dictate the future of the planet.

“Too much is at stake. The Philippines cannot afford to sit still while waiting for the treaty to be finalized when Filipinos have been unjustly enduring the health, social, and environmental costs of plastic pollution for decades. National action can—and must—begin now. By holding plastic-polluting corporations accountable, passing laws consistent with our strong positions in the negotiations, phasing out single-use plastics, and scaling up reuse and refill systems, we can confront the full lifecycle of plastic and protect Filipinos from its impacts. Anything less is surrendering our future to plastic.”