Key Takeaways:
The global fight against plastic pollution enters a crucial chapter next week in Geneva, where talks on the future of plastic waste will take place. Representatives from countries around the world will reconvene in Geneva for the latest session of the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution talks. The formal talks aim to establish a legally binding global plastics treaty.
Introduced in 2022, the INC process brings together governments, nongovernmental organizations, and businesses to debate policies that have the potential to alter the global production, uses, and management of plastics. The most recent session, held in December 2024, ended without an agreement, with key points such as production limits and waste management targets still unresolved. To break the deadlock, negotiators agreed to meet again in what’s now being called INC-5.2.
Among those at the table will be Ed Shepherd, Unilever’s Senior Global Sustainability Manager, attending on behalf of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty—a group the company co-chairs that advocates for ambitious, practical solutions to end plastic pollution.
“Many governments are calling for ambition and are broadly aligned on what the treaty should include,” said Shepherd in a statement to the press. “My optimism has grown following the strong political signals we’ve seen recently.”
Unilever and the Business Coalition are seeking more harmonized and unified packaging regulations to replace the current patchwork of disconnected policies. Having harmonized regulations allows for consistency across multiple markets, which is crucial for conglomerates like Unilever that operate globally.
Unilever and the Business Coalition aim to scale solutions that tackle plastic pollution and believe that creating a harmonized treaty is the most cost-effective way to reach this goal while simultaneously providing economic, environmental, and social value.
In an interview published on Unilever’s website in late July, Shepherd said that Unilever and the Business Coalition, “[are] seeking a treaty that covers the full plastic lifecycle, with mandatory obligations for specific sectors such as packaging, and the ability to tailor to national contexts.”
Both organizations are also seeking the creation of a global phase-out list that will contain plastic products and chemicals of concern. They’re also advocating for mandatory product design criteria and measures that decrease virgin plastic production to environmentally safe levels.
Shepherd noted that the topic of sustainable production and consumption has been a point of division among the various UN governments. Recognizing that Unilever is a big user of plastic, he believes that without proper measures to ensure production and consumption are at sustainable levels, ending plastic pollution is unlikely.
The Importance of Harmonized Regulations
A study commissioned by the Business Coalition compared the economic impacts of harmonized vs. fragmented plastic regulations across six countries: Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and South Africa. The findings showed that harmonized regulations offer significantly greater economic, environmental, and social benefits.
Key Global Benefits of Harmonized Regulations:
Key National Benefits of Harmonized Regulations:
Shephard expressed optimism ahead of the talks. “There’s unprecedented alignment between governments, businesses, and civil society on the core elements which can—and should—underpin an effective treaty.”
He encouraged and acknowledged the efforts of countries engaging constructively at political and technical levels and expressed his hope that all UN members can work toward an agreement in Geneva that positively impacts the future of plastic use on a global scale.
“Now is the time for ministers to show bold leadership and get the job done.”
Since 2019, Unilever has cut its use of virgin plastic by 23% and now sources over 21% of its plastic from recycled materials. Through over 50 refill and reuse pilots, Unilever is testing scalable solutions that reduce plastic and promote circularity.
Unilever believes voluntary action is no longer enough, as consensus around the need to tackle plastic pollution grows among governments, businesses, and civil society. At the upcoming INC meeting in Geneva, the consumer goods giant will advocate for bold, coordinated action to end plastic pollution once and for all.
