As the world prepares for what may be the final round of negotiations on a global plastics treaty, over 600 civil society organizations from across the globe have signed a bold manifesto calling for a legally binding agreement to drastically reduce plastic production and end plastic pollution.
Titled “Manifesto for a Future Free from Plastic Pollution,” the document is a forceful appeal to government leaders gathering in Geneva for the fifth session of the International Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2), set to take place from August 5 to 14, 2025. The meeting is widely seen as a historic opportunity to finalize a treaty that could reshape the global approach to plastic use and pollution.
“Plastic is not a choice; it is an imposition on our daily lives,” the manifesto states, pointing to the material’s far-reaching impacts on climate, biodiversity, human health, and human rights. The signatories warn that without firm commitments and clear targets, the plastics crisis will continue to accelerate the planet’s environmental decline.
The manifesto demands that the treaty include legally binding measures to significantly cut plastic production, ultimately phasing it out. It urges global leaders to align the treaty with existing environmental agreements and confront the “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
Beyond production cuts, the document outlines a comprehensive list of priorities: banning harmful chemicals in plastics, ensuring transparency across the plastics lifecycle, securing adequate financial support for implementation, and enabling a just transition for affected communities. It also calls for an end to waste colonialism and environmental racism, emphasizing the need to prioritize reuse and refill systems over “false solutions” like incineration and plastic-to-fuel technologies.
Another key demand is for democratic decision-making within the treaty process. The manifesto insists that decisions on critical issues should be made by majority vote when consensus cannot be reached, to prevent a small number of countries from derailing progress. Civil society groups also call for strong conflict-of-interest provisions to exclude polluters from influencing negotiations.
With just weeks remaining until the negotiations resume, civil society groups worldwide are mobilizing through coordinated events from July 22 to 25. Activists are hosting actions in multiple countries and encouraging individuals to send letters to their government ministers, urging them to support a strong and enforceable treaty.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” the manifesto concludes. “Together, we must urge nations worldwide to adopt an ambitious and effective treaty that protects people and the planet.”
The coming days in Geneva may well determine the global community’s resolve to confront the plastic crisis—and civil society is making it clear that the world cannot afford to settle for anything less than transformative change.
