Today, 430 million metric tons of plastic waste are produced worldwide, with 11 million tons ending up in marine ecosystems (United Nations, 2023). In response, the United Nations Environment Assembly mandated the development of an internationally binding agreement in March 2022. The agreement aims to bring together 175 countries to address the entire plastic lifecycle by 2024. In addition, the treaty aims to formalize a shared international framework to resolve overproduction, environmental justice, and its detrimental chemical impacts. This legally binding agreement by UNEA is called the International Negotiation Committee (INC), and it aims to address plastic pollution.

Negotiations on the entire life cycle of plastic were initiated at the first formal meeting (INC-1), through which the nations established both their national and mandatory international regulations. INC-2 prepared a "zero draft," which ignited a heated debate among nations that support national flexibility and the high ambition alliance. Two groups were established, one supporting voluntary national efforts and the other supporting legally binding international regulations on the production, design, and use of plastic. Later, an annotated "zero draft" with a thorough discussion of reducing plastic output was examined and created by INC-3. The detrimental impacts of plastic on human and environmental health were acknowledged by INC-4, which led INC 5.1 to examine production, regulations, and implementation strategies, showing the significance of the treaty on the global stage. 

What is the buzz around INC 5.2? 

Every UN Plastic Treaty negotiation delved deeper into the key challenges; however, the intricacy of the debate among the countries due to different priorities called for the final session. INC 5.2 is the conclusion to a two-part session that commenced as INC 5.1. As the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee on Plastic Pollution session was suspended in December 2024, the final conference will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from August 5- 14, 2025. The conference calls for a strong, solution-oriented measure to effectively reduce plastic pollution.  

The basis for the discussions at INC-5.2 will be the Chair's Text, which was published on December 1, 2024. The text is a draft that addresses every stage of the plastic life cycle, including regulation of plastic products, hazardous chemicals, levels of plastic production and consumption, financial resources mechanism, and setting standards for plastic product design.

The key objective of INC 5.2 is to create a global agreement where nations establish the scope of the UN Plastic Treaty. This entails specifying clearly what the treaty will cover at every stage of the plastic life cycle. To reduce pollution at the source, the negotiation calls for nations to restrict the production of virgin plastics.

The agreement also emphasizes a legally binding obligation to phase out toxins and chemicals backed by the fossil fuel industry that has been continuing the production of plastic. Similarly, microplastics are highlighted in the product concerns as these are formed through the breakdown of larger plastic items.

Along with forming provisions and protocols for safer product designs, the agreement also binds countries to improve waste management mechanisms. This includes plastic collection, segregation, recycling and disposal methods. By finalizing these components, the treaty aims to create a comprehensive framework that targets plastic pollution at every stage. 

INC 5.2 also seeks to enforce regulatory requirements that hold primary polluters accountable. Primary polluters are the plastic manufacturers and traders who produce, import and export plastic products. Therefore, manufacturers are subject to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) that accounts for the products from their production to their disposal. It also stresses the need for product design specifications to promote safety, reusability, and recyclability of products. Previously, countries formed two blocks: one supporting voluntary national efforts, the other advocating for legally binding international rules. Therefore, the binding provisions being discussed in INC 5.2 must include clear protocols on global bans of certain polymers and chemical additives and also establish standards for plastic product design. 

Alongside legally binding mechanisms, INC 5.2 also emphasizes the need to build supportive systems, particularly for developing countries. This includes establishing a dedicated international financial mechanism, such as a global fund, to help these nations improve plastic waste management and comply with treaty obligations. This approach ensures producer accountability while supporting developing countries in adopting alternative materials and strengthening waste management infrastructure.

Relevance of UN Plastic Treaty in Context of Nepal 

Plastic has deeply integrated into the consumption patterns in Nepal, especially in the form of single-use bags, packaging materials, multilayered wrappers. About 3,800 metric tons of plastic are imported in Nepal each month with the highest waste generated in urban areas like Kathmandu (Maharjan, 2024). Despite the growing environmental concerns, Nepal lacks enforceable policies and protocols for stronger recycling system. The UN Plastic Treaty, being finalized through INC process, present an opportunity for Nepal to align its national strategy with the global framework. Plus, the treaty focuses on the full life cycle of plastics processes from initial product design to its disposal and pollution control. This is highly relevant as Nepal currently struggles to manage plastic waste. International provisions for the waste management system could reinforce the attempts to eliminate harmful chemical additive plastic products in Nepal.  

As the UN Plastic Treaty continues to negotiate a global, legally binding framework, mitigations like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) can offer both challenges and opportunities in Nepal. While EPR is a key component of the treaty, it remains unregulated in Nepal. The formulation of EPR systems could help regulate producers and importers in Nepal, accounting them to take full responsibility for the life cycle of their plastic products. This creates a system to formalize and support the informal waste sector including local scrap centers and informal waste workers who directly depend on plastic waste without protection or recognition. However, this requires proper planning, new policy enforcement, monitoring bodies, and a stronger institutional framework to formally integrate them into the system. 

The limitation on virgin plastic at the global level can reduce the import of cheap, low-grade plastic products in Nepal. Nepal has been working on banning plastic products such as single- use plastic bags and non-recyclable plastics. The UN Plastic Treaty would support the national enforcement and minimize the circulation of harmful plastics. Additionally, this could reduce the dependency on imported plastics from neighboring countries which currently dominates the Nepali market. This can also promote alternatives such as bio-degradable, locally made packaging products to uplift the domestic market. 

The treaty negotiations at INC 5.2 dedicated funding and technical support for developing countries to strengthen their recycling systems. Nepal remains underdeveloped in terms of infrastructure for waste collection and management system. Toxic chemicals are used for plastic production in Nepal such as the study of IPEN in 2018 which found highly dangerous and globally banned chemical additives in children's toys. Additionally, it was discovered that the locally recycled pellets were contaminated with various chemical plastic additives. Thus, for Nepal, the Treaty could not only provide opportunities for long-term investment in waste management systems, but also support infrastructural development and raise concerns about transparent labelling of chemicals in plastic products. 

In terms of challenges, the dominance of the informal sector in the plastic waste and collection system could be a major obstacle in the implementation of the Treaty. In Nepal, the waste management sector is highly fragmented, which leads to inadequacies in proper infrastructure for collection, disposal, and recycling. Open dumping, poorly managed landfills, and the prevalence of informal waste workers in waste collection without safety is common. Furthermore, poor institutional capacity, lack of policy execution, and low public awareness cause challenges for the treaty’s enforcement. The successful alignment of federal, provincial, and local level coordination with the treaty obligations can only lead to proper enforcement of the UN Plastic Treaty in Nepal.  

Where does CREASION stand? 

CREASION’s primary commitment to advancing circularity is centered around plastic specifically, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). Recognizing the environmental and economic consequences of plastic waste, our approach emphasizes both recycling and upcycling through Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) and Plastic Recovery Facilities (PRFs). This strategy is critical to mitigating the harmful effects of plastic leakage into the environment and reducing dependence on virgin plastic pellets, a resource-intensive input derived from fossil fuels. 

We ensure that this vision is integrated across all our programs and projects and evaluate this impact through three key indicators: 

In addition to core impact areas, our work is supported by several enabling components that drive long-term, scalable change: 

-Community sensitization and awareness campaigns 

-Training and capacity-building workshops 

-Support through FSTP (Financial Support to Third Party) grants 

-Development of strategic recycling infrastructure like MRF and PRF 

By aligning these efforts, we aim to build a resilient, inclusive, and circular plastic economy that benefits both people and the planet.