Nice, France

Monday June 30, 2025

Ninety-five countries called for the adoption of an “ambitious” treaty on plastic pollution at the Nice Ocean Summit, to reduce production of the pollutant that is saturating the world’s seas.

“We call for the adoption of a global target to reduce the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels”, write the signatories of the declaration.

This symbolic declaration is “important” because some countries “are trying to make us believe that it is by acting on collection, sorting and recycling that we are going to put an end to plastic pollution”, French Minister for Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher told the press.

“This is a lie, we have not, we cannot support this lie,” she added.

The signatory countries represent more than half of the 170 countries involved since 2022 in negotiating a treaty on plastics.

Negotiations for a binding treaty on plastic pollution are due to resume in Geneva in early August. The last session ended in failure last December in Busan (South Korea).

“This declaration is essential because it sends out a very strong signal”, said Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources.

The Busan talks on plastics between representatives of over 170 countries stalled following the emergence of a bloc of mainly oil-producing countries (Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, etc.) opposed to any limits on global production.

Plastic production has risen from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 413.8 million in 2023, and plastics account for over 80% of identified aquatic waste, according to the Starfish ocean barometer.

Millions of tons of plastic infiltrate water bodies, food and even the human body every year, in the form of microplastic.

Humaniterre with AFP