ASH joins the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance in attending the second session of the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Conference (INC-5.2) of the United Nations Treaty to End Plastic Pollution in Geneva, Switzerland from August 5 – 14, 2025. ASH’s Executive Director Laurent Huber will share updates and progress here for our community to stay engaged and informed.
Divided Paths at INC-5.2: The Future of the Global Plastics Treaty Hangs in the Balance
August 6, 2025 – Day two of the INC-5.2 negotiations has revealed a stark divide among participating countries. On one side are nations committed to creating a strong, binding global instrument to tackle plastic pollution and protect both the environment and public health. On the other side are countries intent on limiting the treaty’s ambition, seeking to preserve a largely unregulated global trade environment for plastic products.
This divide has created a challenging environment for negotiators. With just days remaining before the August 14 deadline, the future of the treaty hinges on whether countries can move beyond entrenched positions and agree on meaningful commitments.
A key debate centers on national sovereignty and public health. Many countries have made it clear: any global agreement must respect their right to take stronger action to protect their citizens and environments from plastic-related harm. These protections are critical given the mounting evidence linking plastic pollution—not only from packaging and microplastics but also from products like cigarette filters—to serious environmental degradation and negative health outcomes.
Unfortunately, others are working to ensure the treaty is as weak as possible, stripping out measures that would require real action to curb plastic production, regulate hazardous products, and reduce global waste streams.
In the midst of this tension, one clear statement was released today from the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO delivered a strong statement calling for health protection to be front and center in the treaty negotiations and explicitly urged for a ban on cigarette filters—a single-use plastic product that offers no health benefit, contributes massively to global litter, and leaches toxic chemicals into the environment.
Read the WHO’s Statement Here>
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) applauds WHO’s leadership.
Cigarette filters are one of the most pervasive forms of plastic pollution and a deadly distraction—giving smokers a false sense of safety while doing nothing to reduce health risks. A ban on cigarette filters would be a significant victory for both environmental and public health.
ASH, along with the Surfrider Foundation Europe, Break Free From Plastic, Fair Resource Foundation, Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control, the Swiss Association for Tobacco Control and Gezondheidsfondsen voor Rookvrij submitted official testimony today calling for cigarette filters to be included in the final lists of plastics to be banned under the Treaty.
As negotiations continue, ASH calls on all countries to put people and the planet ahead of corporate interests. A strong, ambitious plastics treaty can save lives, protect ecosystems, and preserve the right of countries to take decisive action for a healthier, more sustainable future.