Democracy Dies in Darkness

Divided over whether to stop making plastic, U.N. treaty talks collapse

Delegates from more than 170 countries huddled for a week of marathon negotiations but came up short on delivering a deal.

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Delegates from Mexico, France, Panama and the European Union speak after a news conference Sunday in Busan, South Korea, where U.N. talks to curb plastic pollution took place. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)
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correction

A previous version of this article incorrectly said that the American Chemistry Council backed a voluntary, nonbinding treaty that focused on improving waste management. The group supports a binding agreement. The article has been corrected. It has also been revised to note that the group objected to production restrictions.

BUSAN, South Korea — Global talks to forge a landmark treaty aimed at reducing plastic pollution broke down after negotiators from more than 170 countries remained deadlocked over how to curb the world’s growing mountain of plastic waste.

The marathon negotiations in this port city collapsed early Monday, local time, after participants could not agree on the best path forward. More than 100 countries favored measures to ratchet back plastic production, while oil-rich nations pushed back, arguing that the world should target plastic pollution, not plastic itself.