Background
 
In order to develop an internationally legally binding instrument aimed at ending plastic pollution by 2040, more than 2,600 participants convened at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, from August 5 to 15, 2025. Among the participants there were more than 1,400 member delegates from 183 countries and nearly 1,000 observers representing over 400 organizations. The mandate for the negotiations on the so-called “Plastics Treaty” dates back to a resolution of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in 2022. In accordance with Resolution UNEA 5.14, an Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee (INC) has been meeting every six months since November 28, 2022. In the negotiation sessions to date, a draft treaty has been developed, which was discussed in Geneva during the second part of the fifth session of the INC, INC 5.2. Ultimately, the negotiations were adjourned without consensus being reached on the text of the treaty. The INC leadership announced that negotiations would resume at a date yet to be announced.
 

Dr. Volker Glöckner
 
Dr. Volker Glöckner is Head of Circular Economy & Public Affairs at ALPLA, a global specialist in packaging solutions. He holds a doctorate in marine ecology and participated in the negotiations on the UN plastics agreement as a representative of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty in Nairobi in 2023, in Ottawa and Busan in 2024, and most recently in Geneva in August 2025. The Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty was launched in September 2022 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) and brings together more than 300 companies from across the plastics value chain, financial institutions, and NGOs. Together, they are calling for an ambitious UN plastics convention that integrates plastics into a circular economy and prevents them from entering the environment.

 

 

„I think we should finally get started and … start with areas where agreement can be reached … in order to end environmental pollution from plastic waste. If we really want to solve the problem, we all need to take responsibility together.”

 
Our questions
 
Why is the UN plastics convention so important for the plastics and packaging industry? Which proposals are particularly relevant for ALPLA and the packaging industry?
 
As a leading international manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging, a global convention is important to us if it establishes legally binding rules and thus prevents environmental pollution caused by plastics. An internationally harmonized legal framework should enable economies of scale for the entire industry, remove barriers to innovation, and strengthen the competitiveness of the circular economy. An ambitious UN Plastics Treaty could thus become a booster for the circular economy of plastic packaging and, consequently, for ALPLA's business model. Our focus in the negotiations is on everything related to the circular economy and plastic packaging. This also includes discussions on limiting plastic production or so-called chemicals of concern when these would make recycling more difficult. The design of plastic products is also crucial for us, especially design for recycling, which we are expressly committed to.
 

What topics were discussed in Geneva?
 

More than 180 countries negotiated in Geneva, and the topics discussed were manifold. They included many issues that we are familiar with from European regulations such as the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). Possible measures range from restrictions on the production of single-use plastic products to mandatory rules and quotas for design for recycling or the use of recycled materials, for example. The focus is on waste management and sorting, extended producer responsibility, but also on topics such as “just transition,” i.e., a fair transition for the 20 million informal waste pickers, without whom recycling would not be possible in many developing and emerging countries. Another topic is how industrialized nations can support these countries financially and with know-how in implementing the Convention.
 

Why was no agreement reached there?
 

The dominant issue and, at the same time, one of the biggest points of contention is the question of whether the production of plastics needs to be limited. Oil-producing countries are opposed to limiting plastic production, while the countries of the so-called “High Ambition Coalition,” which includes the EU, insist on a limit or at least a provision for “sustainable production and consumption.” If this conflict were resolved, the negotiations would take a big step forward.
 
What role do geopolitical and economic interests play in this deadlock?
 
The negotiations reflect the current geopolitical conflicts. Even though it is not as prominent this time as it was in the last negotiations, the conflict between Russia and the EU is still an issue. In addition, it can be observed that since Donald Trump's re-election as US president, there has been a new wind blowing in the US delegation. Anything that could potentially harm the US economy or the status quo is categorically rejected, which sometimes causes considerable discontent among other member states.
 
In your opinion, how can we move forward from here? Where do you see progress and potential for further negotiations? As a representative of a plastics processing company such as ALPLA, what advice would you give to the negotiators and delegates from the various countries?
 
The EU is committed to further negotiations. A possible INC 5.3 meeting could take place as early as spring 2026. For this to happen, the UN would have to extend the mandate, which expires at the end of 2025, and provide further financial resources for the negotiations. What we are not currently seeing is a so-called “Treaty of the willing” among ambitious countries outside the UN. This would amount to bilateral contentions between individual countries. Ultimately, if the UN mandate is not extended, premature failure is also possible, although in my view this is very unlikely.
 
I do think that progress was made in Geneva. For the first time ever, the various countries and groups of countries talked to each other rather than just about each other. This was evident in the many informal negotiations behind closed doors, which took place mainly in the second week, sometimes lasting until the early hours of the morning. I see this as an opportunity to reach viable compromises in further negotiations.
 
I think we should finally get started and abandon the idea of wanting to have a perfect “plastics treaty” right away. We should start with areas where agreement can be reached and, over time, involve all sectors and areas in order to end environmental pollution from plastic waste. The longer we just talk, the bigger the problem will become.
 

From your company's perspective, what is the key approach to promoting sustainable plastic recycling? What specific recycling concept is ALPLA pursuing to make plastic recycling sustainable?
 

If we really want to solve the problem, we all need to take responsibility together. At ALPLA, we take our responsibility for people and the environment very seriously. We are actively engaged in recycling and the circular economy for over 30 years, making us one of the pioneers in this field. We support the Science Based Targets Initiative to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and we are signatory to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Global Commitment to promote the circular economy.
 
Our actions are guided by the 4Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Replace. We place particular emphasis on recycling, which we view holistically, as we do for the entire circular economy. The principles of Design for Recycling (D4R) and Design for Circularity (D4C) play a central role for us. Clear and binding regulations are needed here.
 
Equally crucial are functioning waste management systems and sorting facilities. What is not collected cannot be recycled. An effective extended producer responsibility (EPR) system must regulate and finance this. Fees should be modulated ecologically regardless of the material, based on recyclability, recycled content, and the product carbon footprint. This is the only way to achieve a real steering effect towards more climate-friendly packaging. Plastic packaging scores highly in all areas here.
 
Ultimately, we must restore value to plastic as a material. That is why we are also involved in recycling plants in the Global South, where environmental pollution is particularly severe. What has a value is not carelessly disposed of in the nature. The high collection rate of deposit systems, such as in Germany, clearly demonstrates this.
 
We already have everything we need. Now it is up to the UN member states to create the regulatory framework to make a functioning circular economy for plastic packaging a reality worldwide. ALPLA is ready.
 

Dr. Glöckner, thank you very much for the interview!

Photo: © Alpla