Azul Updates from the Second Part of the Fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) for a Plastics Treaty
Azul is in Geneva, Switzerland, participating as civil society observers in the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5.2), which is scheduled to take place from 5 to 14 August 2025 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Watch Webcast.
Below is a round-up of materials and resources Azul has published around INC-5.2.
📃 Azul Statement on INC-5.2 Ending Without Treaty
The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) has ended without an agreement on a Global Plastics Treaty. Finishing the session without a treaty, again, can be disappointing, but for the communities most impacted by the plastics crisis, it is more important to get the treaty text right, instead of locking us into a weak text that prioritizes industrial and financial interests. Despite the outcome, Azul remains encouraged by a notable shift in discourse during these talks — one that increasingly centers human rights as integral to addressing plastic pollution.
• Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations at INC-5.2 End Without Agreement — The Work Continues
📃 Azul Reacts to INC Chair Draft Text released at INC-5.2
As the Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) released a draft of the Global Plastics Treaty, Azul expressed strong concern that the text fails to deliver on the urgent need for a just and binding treaty that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics.
In response to the current Chair Draft Text, Azul’s Founder and Executive Director and Head of Delegation, Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, released a reaction statement.
📃 Azul releases Memorandum on closing loopholes in Article 11 of the Plastics Treaty
As the second week of the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) convenes in Geneva, Azul has released a memorandum on closing loopholes in Article 11.
📃Azul releases two policy proposals following the first week of INC-5.2: Procedural Voting Proposal and Proposed Addition to Article 11 – A New Transparency Mechanism and Legal Classification of Contributors.
As the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) convenes in Geneva to continue critical negotiations on a global plastics treaty, civil society organizations are united in expressing serious concern over the current direction of the talks.
In response, Azul is releasing two new documents: a Procedural Voting Proposal aimed at ensuring that these negotiations uphold the principles of transparency, inclusivity, and justice, and a Proposed Addition to Article 11 – A New Transparency Mechanism and Legal Classification of Contributors, a follow-up to the policy proposal released ahead of INC-5.2.
Download Proposals:
• Azul Policy Proposal for INC 5.2: Procedural Voting Proposal – Rolling Consolidation Method and Secretariat-Led Consolidated Draft Management [PDF]
• Azul Policy Proposal for INC-5.2: Proposed Addition to Article 11 – A New Transparency Mechanism and Legal Classification of Contributors [PDF]
📃 Azul Policy Proposal: A Just Plastics Treaty: By Communities, For Communities – Supply Cuts, Fair Finance, Shared Technology, Local Power
As governments prepare for the next round of negotiations of the Global Plastics Treaty at INC-5.2 in Geneva (August 5-14, 2025), Azul has released a new policy proposal to serve as a tool in the discussions.
This community-centered framework outlines four key pillars for success:
• Supply Cuts to address plastic pollution at the source
• Fair Finance that applies the polluter-pays principle
• Shared Technology accessible to all
• Local Power frontline communities must lead the way
Read the report and the press release in English and Spanish.
📍 Azul’s Delegation at INC-5.2
Azul’s grassroots delegation, inclusive of the organization’s Founder and Executive Director, Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņŝ, and Senior Policy Associate, Roland González Pizarro, will join observers from more than 175 countries at the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2), which kicks off August 5 and runs through August 14.
• Press Release: Azul Participates in Global Plastic Treaty Negotiations at INC-5.2 in Geneva.
🗞️ Azul in the News
KQED: California Organization Fights For Community-Based Solutions To Tackle Plastic Pollution
Our Founder and Executive Director, Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, spoke with KQED about the critical role of the negotiations in Geneva toward a Global #PlasticsTreaty.
In the interview, she emphasized that this ISN’T just an ocean issue. To truly address the plastics crisis, we have to look at the whole lifecycle of plastics — from the extraction of base materials to its disposal. She also shared about Azul’s recent policy proposal with treaty-ready language focused on:
✅supply cuts,
✅fair finance,
✅shared technology, and
✅local power.
[En español] Semanario ZETA: Azul promotes a policy for ocean justice
On Tuesday, July 29, Azul unveiled a policy proposal to promote community-led solutions to address the adverse social and environmental impacts of plastics.
[En español] El Mexicano: Ahead of INC-5.2, Azul publishes a policy proposal on plastics focused on community solutions to combat the plastic crisis
“A Treaty on Fair Plastic: By Communities, For Communities” promotes recommendations for treaty-ready language for implementation based on science, human rights, and environmental justice.
[En español] Dia a Dia: Azul pública una propuesta de política sobre plásticos centrada en soluciones comunitarias para combatir la crisis del plástico
Azul’s policy proposal includes specific treaty-ready language to shape a strong legal commitment; provisions to support fair financing, technology sharing, and local power; and recommendations to curb plastic production.
[En español] El Informde del Valle: Azul pública una propuesta de política sobre plásticos centrada en soluciones comunitarias para combatir la crisis del plástico
Azul, an ocean justice organization working with Latino communities to protect coastal and marine ecosystems, released a policy proposal calling for community-driven policy solutions to address the adverse social and environmental impacts of plastics.
[En español] Agencia Fronteriza de Noticias: The proposal for “A Just Plastics Treaty” will be presented in Switzerland.
A Just Plastics Treaty: By Communities, For Communities is a global policy proposal from Azul, an organization dedicated to ocean justice for Latinx communities, with a focus on environmental equity and community participation.
📹 Video Updates from INC-5.2
[August 5, 2025] Day 1 – Hello from Geneva!
We are at the second part of the fifth session of negotiations for a Global #PlasticsTreaty. We continue to call for ocean justice, a strong focus on human rights, and a focus on the communities most inspected by the plastics crisis. And above all — to highlight that this is not just an ocean issue. 🌊 We need to talk about the plastics crisis from the extraction of base materials🛢️ to waste.🗑️
📝 Complementary Materials
[2021 Report] NEGLECTED: Environmental Justice Impacts of Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution
In 2021, a report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Azul highlighted the impact of plastic pollution on already vulnerable populations around the world, depriving them of their basic human rights, health, and well-being. The report, Neglected: Environmental Justice Impacts of Plastic Pollution, demonstrates how the entire life cycle of plastics -from source extraction to waste- disproportionately affects marginalized communities and poses obstacles to the full and timely achievement of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.)
• English: NEGLECTED: Environmental Justice Impacts of Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution
• Español: EN ESTADO DE NEGLIGENCIA: El impacto de la basura marina y la contaminación por plásticos en la justicia ambiental
• Read the press release from UNEP
• Read the press release from Azul in English
• Lee el comunicado de prense de Azul en Español
• Videos in English, Spanish, and French
• Reels in English, Spanish, and French
• Infographic: Plastic Pollution Impact on SDGs – Azul infographic
• Gráfico informativo: La contaminación por plásticos obstaculiza el logro de los 17 ODS
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