Towards an international treaty on plastic pollution
Aotearoa New Zealand is working with other countries on an international treaty on plastic pollution.
Plastic pollution is a significant global, transboundary problem. Every year 19-23 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into aquatic ecosystems alone, harming marine life and ecosystems.
The situation is getting worse. Global plastic production is expected to triple by 2060 (from 2019 levels), with less than half ending up in landfill and only one-fifth being recycled.
Due to the rapidly increasing levels of plastic pollution, and its environmental, social, economic, and human health impacts, a multilateral solution is urgently needed.
In March 2022, UN member states established an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC).
There have been six INC meetings to date. The resumed session of the fifth INC meeting took place in August 2025.
Areas under negotiation include measures to:
- address harmful chemicals and polymers used in plastics, and problematic or avoidable plastic products
- improve plastic product design
- increase producer and polluter responsibility
- address emissions and releases of plastics throughout their lifecycle
- improve waste management of plastics
- address trade of harmful plastics
- address existing plastic pollution
- improve transparency, tracking, monitoring and labelling of plastics.
Countries are also considering measures needed to implement the treaty effectively including:
- National Action Plans
- stakeholder engagement
- financial, capacity building and technical assistance.
The overall scope, level of ambition, and nature of commitments of a treaty all remain subject to negotiations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Ministry for the Environment are jointly responsible for engaging in the negotiations, and are working with stakeholders, partners and other countries.
Taking action on plastic waste is an important step in Aotearoa New Zealand’s journey to a low-waste economy with an effective resource recovery and recycling system.
In negotiations, Aotearoa New Zealand is advocating for a treaty that establishes an effective international framework to address transboundary plastic pollution covering the full lifecycle of plastics and respects the waste hierarchy principle.
Negotiating mandate
Read the updated Cabinet mandate on Aotearoa New Zealand's negotiating mandate agreed by Cabinet on 15 April 2024.
Previous negotiating mandate
Read the original Cabinet mandate which was agreed to by the previous Government in 2022. This is superseded by the updated mandate.
In November 2022, Aotearoa New Zealand joined the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution.
Members of the High Ambition Coalition share a common vision to end plastic pollution by 2040. It is co-chaired by Norway and Rwanda.
The High Ambition Coalition coordinates statements from its member states to share priorities for upcoming INC meetings.
Details of all INC meetings can be found on the UNEP website at Sessions and Meetings | UNEP - UN Environment Programme.
We will continue to undertake targeted engagement throughout the negotiations process, including with a wide range of stakeholders and iwi Māori partners.
If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback during this process, please get in touch with us at UNPlasticsTreaty@mfe.govt.nz