The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has used a coordination meeting on the proposed global plastic pollution treaty to push for a framework that preserves national sovereignty and keeps any binding commitments voluntary, signalling continued resistance from oil-producing nations to mandatory measures that could constrain petrochemical demand.
The third OPEC coordination meeting on the International Legally Binding Instrument (ILBI) on plastic pollution was held by videoconference, with representatives from OPEC and non-OPEC members of the Charter of Cooperation (CoC) in attendance. Dr. Ayed Al-Qahtani, Director of the Research Division at OPEC, delivered opening remarks on behalf of Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais.
“Plastics are indispensable to modern societies,” Al-Qahtani said, arguing that plastics contribute to affordability, sustainable development, food security, water sanitation, healthcare, infrastructure and poverty reduction.
He stressed that any future treaty should be “realistic, balanced, fair and implementable, respecting national sovereignty,” and called for measures to remain voluntary and nationally determined, with implementation supported through a facilitative rather than punitive compliance mechanism.
The remarks reflect a consistent position held by oil-producing states throughout the ILBI negotiation process, which has stalled repeatedly over the same central fault line. Countries supporting a strong treaty want binding global targets and measures covering the full lifecycle of plastics from production to disposal. Oil-producing nations, whose revenues depend partly on petrochemical demand, have argued the mandate covers pollution management rather than production limits.
The global plastics treaty talks failed to produce an agreement at INC-5.2 in Geneva in August 2025, with delegates unable to resolve fundamental disagreements over whether any binding instrument should address production levels at all. A new chair, Ambassador Julio Cordano of Chile, was elected at INC-5.3 in February 2026, and the chair issued a methodology letter in April 2026 outlining a framework to revive negotiations.
The INC Chair’s April 2026 letter outlined four objectives he described as the “four Cs”: conceptual discussions, clarity in the text, connections between parts of the instrument, and a comprehensive view of the instrument sensitive to national circumstances.
Global plastic waste is projected to reach 1.7 billion metric tonnes by 2060. More than 460 million metric tonnes of plastic are produced annually, with an estimated 20 million tonnes ending up in the environment. The OPEC coordination meetings reflect the bloc’s intention to present a unified position at future INC sessions, ensuring that the interests of fossil fuel-dependent economies are formally embedded in any outcome document.
