The #BreakFreeFromPlastic movement invites journalists and members of the media to attend the press briefing:
Pre-INC5.2 Media Briefing
July 23, 2025
11:30 am - 1:00 pm Delhi | 1:00 pm Bangkok | 2:00 pm Kuala Lumpur | 6:00 pm Suva
Online via Zoom
Press kits with a list of resource speakers and potential interviewees will be available on the day.
Why This Matters
The Asia Pacific region sits at the epicentre of both plastic production and pollution impacts. From major manufacturing hubs to vulnerable Small Island Developing States facing existential threats from ocean plastic, the region's diverse economies and environmental challenges make it a key battleground in the global treaty negotiations.
Country positions will determine what global standards are set in the prospective plastics instrument. Based on the outcome of the negotiations, these standards and targets could reshape entire industries, implement financial mechanisms that make producers pay the true cost of plastic pollution, and create international cooperation frameworks. The outcomes could fundamentally alter how much plastic and associated chemicals are produced, where they are used, how they should be managed, how plastic trade is limited, and support the scaling up of reuse/refill systems.
For journalists covering the INC 5.2 negotiations, understanding how countries frame their priorities around economic development, environmental protection, and international cooperation would be key to providing nuanced coverage of the key treaty outcomes.
Programme Overview (1.5 hours)
| Agenda | Topic | Speaker/s [TBC] |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Framing: INC 5.2 Primer & Recap What’s happened so far and what to expect this time? | Semee Rhee, Break Free From Plastic |
| Decoding Country Positions | Key points of collaboration: which issues have seen more cross-regional agreement? How can the media catalyse this? Key polarising issues: which clauses have been the most contentious in Asia Pacific? How can the media address/respond to these? | Siddharth Ghanshyam Singh, Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) |
| What is needed to unlock negotiations at INC 5.2? | Tactics to look out for: procedural issues including access of civil society inclusivity/access delaying tactics to stall progress in negotiations ROP bottleneck watered-down commitments, focus on waste management solutions rather than plastic production caps industry/fossil fuel interests and industry speak (circular economy/circularity, greenwashing) | Pinky Chandran, Break Free From Plastic |
| Short Discussion on regional blocs/coalitions, the potential directions of this treaty and the key challenges in plastic pollution reporting in Asia Pacific. | ||
| What Would an Effective Treaty Look Like? Regional Voices from South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. |
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| Panel Discussion + Media Q&A Moderator: Devayani Khare, Break Free From Plastic |
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| Wrapping Up and Sharing Media Resources | ||
Who Should Attend
As this briefing will set context for INC 5.2, we encourage journalists covering the Global Plastic Treaty negotiations. This briefing will be particularly relevant to:
- Environment & Climate Reporters
- Health & Science Journalists
- Policy & Diplomatic Correspondents
- Business & Trade Journalists
- Regional & Development Reporters
- Journalists covering the Asia Pacific region
About Break Free From Plastic – #BreakFreeFromPlastic is a global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution. Since its launch in 2016, more than 2,000 organizations and 11,000 individual supporters from across the world have joined the movement to demand massive reductions in single-use plastics and push for lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. BFFP member organizations and individuals share the shared values of environmental protection and social justice and work together through a holistic approach to bring about systemic change. This means tackling plastic pollution across the whole plastics value chain—from extraction to disposal—focusing on prevention rather than cure and providing effective solutions.www.breakfreefromplastic.org
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Press Contacts:
- Devayani Khare: devayani@breakfreefromplastic.org
- Eah Antonio: eah@breakfreefromplastic.org
