“Groups demand justice-centered Global Plastics Treaty at INC-5.2”, 10 August 2025

Indigenous Peoples, waste pickers, and unionised workers are jointly demanding a binding Global Plastics Treaty grounded in justice and human rights...

This is contained in a statement made available on Friday, August 8, 2025, in Lagos and jointly signed by the media representative of the groups.

They are Nicolás Martínez, International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP); Catalina de Onís, Just Transition Alliance (JTA); and Cheyenne Rendon, International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Plastics (IIPFP).

The groups, representing frontline communities most affected by plastic pollution, have demanded that the treaty addresses plastics’ full lifecycle – from fossil fuel extraction to waste disposal.

They have also rejected “false solutions” such as plastic credits and market-driven schemes…

“The treaty must protect indigenous rights and knowledge,” said Viola Vi Waghiyi, a Yupik leader from Alaska.

The International Alliance of Waste Pickers, representing over 40 million workers, stressed the need for formal recognition and just transition measures.

The International Trade Union Confederation called for binding labour standards and safe working conditions across the plastics value chain…

The groups insist that, without power, resources, and decision-making in the hands of those most impacted, the treaty risks failing the communities it claims to protect…