INC-1: The First Global Plastics Treaty Negotiation

When and where: Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 28 November to 2 December 2022, hosted by UNEP. A Multi-Stakeholder Forum Day preceded the formal talks on November 26.

Mandate: INC-1 launched the process created by UNEA resolution 5/14, adopted by 175 countries on 2 March 2022, which mandated UNEP’s Executive Director to convene an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a legally binding instrument addressing the full life cycle of plastics, with a goal of finishing the treaty by the end of 2024.

What happened substantively: This was largely a procedural, agenda-setting session rather than a text-negotiation one. Delegates focused on discussing potential elements and structure for the new treaty, drawing from existing international agreements and current plastics science. Even at this early stage, the core fault line that has defined the whole INC process emerged:/p>

• A “high-ambition coalition,” led by Norway and Rwanda, called for cuts to plastic production along with phasing out certain plastic products and toxic chemical additives.
• Major oil- and gas-producing countries, including the US, Saudi Arabia, and some Asian nations, pushed instead for country-specific, non-binding National Action Plans rather than binding global limits
• A third bloc, including many African countries plus Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and Switzerland, pushed for a more comprehensive global approach.

• Civil society scored a symbolic win: demands for reductions in plastic production and use, elimination of toxic substances across the plastic life cycle, and a “just transition” won backing from many member states, and even from Nestlé and Unilever.
• Break Free From Plastic and allied groups pushed for a negotiation process with meaningful access for rightsholders (Indigenous peoples, scientists, informal-sector workers, trade unions, and frontline communities), a process/inclusion fight that’s continued through later sessions
• Next steps were set: INC-2 would be held in person in Paris the week of May 22, 2023.