The negotiations, chaired by Ecuador’s Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso, face a firm August 14 deadline to deliver a final text. But divisions on scope, product bans, and production controls remain entrenched. The Chair has urged delegates to clear converged articles for transmission to the legal drafting group and to avoid procedural deadlock.India’s intervention marks a shift from its image as a global model for single-use plastics (SUP) bans. Since 2022, it has enforced a criteria-based prohibition on 19 SUP items, built on a scientific framework assessing utility, economic value, and environmental impact. It was a possible template for global action. Yet in Geneva, India shied away from binding global timelines.Critics say this could undermine ambition. Siddarth G Singh of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said: “If we do not have an initial list, what it essentially means is that we are delaying action by at least several years… This pushes any kind of action on single-use plastics by at least 10 years,” he told TNIE.Annex Y — the list India is opposing — contains items already banned nationally, such as plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, cotton bud sticks, and carry bags. Embracing it could strengthen domestic enforcement.Melissa Blue Sky, Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), told TNIE that India’s opposition reflects “an inconsistent position” and resistance to global regulatory measures. She noted that adopting a new annex under multilateral environmental agreements is notoriously difficult, often requiring a three-quarters majority or consensus, which could delay action for years. “In the latter case, it would never be adopted,” she said, warning that rejecting Annex Y now could lock in inaction.Over 140 countries have called for global bans and phase-outs of problematic plastics. UNEP estimates SUPs make up 36% of plastic production, with 85% mismanaged. The WWF says global bans by 2028 could save governments $12 billion in waste management and cut mismanagement costs by $2 trillion by 2040.
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