Geneva, Switzerland – As world governments meet in Geneva for the final Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, Greenpeace activists created a symbolic trail of black oil and held massive banners on the entrance of the Palais des Nations to call out the undue influence of the fossil fuel industry in the negotiations. The action highlights attempts by fossil fuel lobbyists and oil producing states to prevent countries agreeing to cut plastic production as a core part of the new treaty.
Twenty-two Greenpeace activists from Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland joined the action. They also climbed the roof of the entrance to the Palais des Nations and unfurled a banner that points to the fossil fuel lobbyists who registered to the ongoing talks, while another banner declared the Global Plastics Treaty is Not For Sale.
Graham Forbes, Greenpeace International Head of Delegation to the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and Global Plastics Campaign Lead at Greenpeace USA, said: “Each round of negotiations brings more oil and gas lobbyists into the room. Fossil fuel and petrochemical giants are polluting the negotiations from the inside, and we’re calling on the UN to kick them out. Governments must not let a handful of backwards looking fossil fuel companies override the clear call from all of civil society – including Indigenous Peoples, frontline communities, youth activists and many responsible businesses – demanding a strong agreement that cuts plastic production.”
Every round of negotiations sees more fossil fuel and petrochemical lobbyists gaining access to the talks while frontline communities, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society are left fighting for meaningful participation. According to analysis by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), At INC-5 in Busan, over 220 petrochemical lobbyists registered, a 12% increase from INC-4 in Ottawa, Canada. Industry lobbyists, taken together, have formed one of the largest delegation at the talks – more than the number of delegates from the European Union and its Member States combined.
The action follows the delivery of a letter from Greenpeace offices and CIEL to the heads of UNEP and the INC secretariat calling for all fossil fuel lobbyists to be banned from all future Global Plastics Treaty negotiations.
The fossil fuel industry and its political allies are pushing hard to weaken the treaty’s ambition. If they succeed, plastic production could triple by 2050, fueling more environmental destruction, climate chaos, and harm to human health. A recent report from Greenpeace UK revealed that companies like Dow, ExxonMobil, BASF, Chevron Phillips, Shell, SABIC, and INEOS, continue to ramp up plastic production. Since the Global Plastics Treaty process began in November 2022, these seven companies have expanded plastic production capacity by 1.4 million tonnes. Over the same time period, they have also produced enough plastic to fill an estimated 6.3 million garbage trucks or five and a half trucks every minute. These companies also reaped enormous profits, with Dow alone earning an estimated US$5.1 billion from plastics, while sending at least 21 lobbyists into treaty negotiations.
“This is a battle for our survival,” Forbes added. “Corporate polluters that created this problem must not be allowed to stop the world from solving it. Governments must show courage and deliver a strong treaty that puts people and planet first, not short-term corporate profits.”
ENDS
Photos and videos of the action can be accessed in the Greenpeace Media Library.
Contacts:
Angelica Carballo Pago, Global Plastics Campaign Media Lead, Greenpeace USA, [email protected] , +63 917 1124492
Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected]
