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.
Youth Demand Action on the Plastics Treaty
August 12, 2025 – On the eighth day of the final round of negotiations to develop a treaty addressing plastic pollution, Geneva sweltered at 100°F—but there was still no meaningful agreement in sight. This, despite a loud and clear plea from youth leaders to governments: “If you don’t act now, future generations will be left cleaning up a mess they did not create.”
As European Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall put it, “Discussions so far have been difficult.” Indeed, after a full week, countries have yet to agree on even the treaty’s objective or scope. High-ambition countries are calling for upstream measures and caps on plastic production, while plastic-producing nations continue to push for a weaker agreement focused solely on waste management.
Progress has also stalled on defining criteria for phasing out problematic single-use plastics. Plastic-producing countries are resisting the establishment of a binding list or agreed-upon criteria for elimination, arguing instead that each nation should decide for itself—further delaying a much-needed global solution.
ASH’s Key Points for INC-5.2 are available to review in: English
