The resumed fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5.2) convened in Geneva from August 5 to 15. Agnes Vinblad, USCIB Director for Environment and Sustainable Development led a delegation of members to this session: “While governments again failed to reach agreement, we were encouraged by an active US government participation, and we did see significant progress,” Vinblad said.  

The expectations were high for this resumed session of plastic pollution talks. Prior to negotiators descending on Geneva, the stage had been clearly set – this would be the time to conclude and reach an agreement. However, with a closing plenary that ended around 9:00 am in the morning on August 15 – almost a day after the intended closing time – it was clear that governments again had failed to reach consensus on the main sticking points in the treaty text. The INC Chair, Luis Vayas Valdivieso pointed to production, finance, plastic products, and decision-making as remaining key areas of divergence.  

During the closing plenary, we heard a strong will from all countries to continue negotiations at a later date, with some clearly requesting an INC-5.3 session. While details are yet to be confirmed, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen commented that, “all countries clearly want to remain at the table.”  

USCIB was represented by Kristen Edgreen Kaufman, SVP for Global Impact Initiatives and Vinblad. USCIB has actively represented US business in this process since its inception back in 2022. On the ground, Kaufman and Vinblad engaged with the US Delegation and had bilateral meetings with the US Mission to UN Geneva, and the US Senate Delegation that attended in the second week.  

We expect negotiations to resume at a future session in 2026.