Failed UN plastic pollution talks a missed chance, says Dutch Cabinet; Greenpeace agrees

Outgoing State Secretary for Environment Thierry Aartsen has spoken of his disappointment with the fact that 185 countries failed to reach an agreement to establish a binding international treaty to combat plastic pollution at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) in Geneva. According to the VVD member, plastic use now threatens to triple, “while 90 percent already ends up in the environment.”

Aartsen claims that no agreement was reached because oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United States, and China are not willing to go as far as many European countries. Plastic is made from petroleum, and these countries therefore benefit from lenient rules on plastic use and recycling.

The state secretary thinks steps need to be taken, as China is now able to produce plastic more cheaply, and can use this leverage to push European and Dutch companies that recycle “out of the market.” The VVD politician believes that “as Europe, we need to take a tough stance on this.”

Aartsen continued: “It is incredibly complicated that a country like the United States, that while saying they stick up for freedom, free trade, and the economy, is on the side of Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia.”

The state secretary reportedly told the American delegation that they should take a critical view of their stance regarding strategic independence. “You can’t say: When it comes to raw materials, we are competing with China, but when it comes to these kinds of agreements, we are not involved."

Aartsen has not lost hope regarding a global agreement. According to him, the failure this time was also due to a lack of time. “There will be another meeting in Nairobi in December to continue discussions on this.”

Ocean Cleanup also spoke of its concern regarding the lack of agreement. “Now that the future of the treaty is uncertain, we risk losing momentum for this unique opportunity and risk losing the fight,” said the organization founded by Dutchman Boyan Slat.

“Plastic pollution continues to devastate marine ecosystems,” the organization stated. “And every delay means that more plastic will end up in our rivers and oceans. While we understand the complexity of reaching a global consensus, there is also a lot at stake, for our health, our oceans, and our future.”

Greenpeace said that the failure to reach an agreement has to be a wake-up call for the world. “Ending plastic pollution means confronting fossil fuel interests head-on. The vast majority of governments want a strong agreement, yet a handful of bad actors were allowed to use the process to drive such ambition into the ground,” said Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation at the negotiations in the Swiss city.

“We cannot continue to do the same thing and expect a different result. The time for hesitation is over. Now is not the time to blink. Now is the time for courage, resolve, and perseverance,” Forbes added.

Consumer goods company Unilever is also “disappointed” by the failure to reach a binding international treaty. “These talks need to lead to concrete action. Coordinated regulation is necessary to reduce complexity and costs for companies and to increase confidence in investing in solutions,” said Rebecca Marmot, Director of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs.

Unilever lowered its targets for reducing plastic use last year. The company, which owns brands such as Axe, Knorr, and Dove, had originally planned to halve its use of new plastic this year, but it adjusted the goal to a 30 percent reduction by 2026. For 2024, the annual report lists a reduction of 23 percent compared to 2019.