With the election of a new Chair in February 2026 and no agreed path forward on treaty text, the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations have reached a pivotal moment. Multiple draft texts remain on the table, and Member States continue to diverge on one of the most consequential questions facing the process: how the future Global Plastics Treaty should be designed.
The State of Play After INC-5.3: Reassessing the “Start-and-Strengthen” Approach provides:
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A clear overview of where the treaty text stands after INC-5.3
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An explanation of the “start-and-strengthen” approach frequently invoked in negotiations
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A legal and institutional analysis of what makes such an approach effective
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A distinction between start-and-strengthen and purely bottom-up models
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An assessment of key structural elements required to ensure the treaty can progressively increase ambition
The brief examines whether current draft proposals contain the necessary foundations — including binding core obligations, effectiveness evaluation mechanisms, and clear procedures for decision-making and amendment — to ensure that the treaty can evolve over time to meet its objective of ending plastic pollution.
As negotiations continue, clarity about legal architecture is essential. The choices made now will determine whether the plastics treaty becomes a dynamic and strengthening global regime — or a fragmented framework with limited collective impact.
Read The State of Play After INC-5.3: Reassessing the “Start-and-Strengthen” Approach to learn more.
(Published February 26, 2026)