As the first Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meeting for the Global Plastics Treaty concluded today, Greenpeace called on governments to step up for people and climate and stop delaying meaningful negotiations of the Global Plastics Treaty.

Graham Forbes, Global Plastic Project Lead at Greenpeace USA, said:

"We cannot let oil producing countries, at the behest of big oil and petrochemical companies, dominate and slow down the treaty discussions and weaken its ambition. If the plastics industry has its way, plastic production could double within the next 10-15 years, and triple by 2050 - with catastrophic impacts on our planet and its people. The High Ambition Coalition must show leadership by pushing the negotiations forward and calling for more ambitious measures which protect our health, our climate and our communities from the plastics crisis.

"The Global Plastics Treaty is a major opportunity to finally end the age of plastic, and governments should not let this go to waste. We demand that world leaders deliver a strong and ambitious treaty that will dramatically reduce plastic production and use, open inclusive and justice-centered discussions, and ensure that the next INCs are free from industry interference."