Delegates from roughly 180 countries opened a ten-day session in Geneva on 5 August to revive stalled negotiations on what the United Nations hopes will become the first legally binding treaty to curb plastic pollution. The meeting, formally the resumed fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, is viewed by the chair as a “historic last chance” to produce a consolidated text before an end-2025 deadline. Fault lines emerged immediately over whether the accord should cap the production of virgin plastics and restrict hazardous additives. A memo obtained by Reuters shows the Trump administration urging several governments to reject any reference to production targets, putting the United States in opposition to more than 100 nations—including the European Union and small-island states—that say cuts are essential. The draft circulated to negotiators still contains about 370 bracketed passages, reflecting deep disagreement. Industry-aligned countries argue the treaty should focus on waste collection and recycling, but public-health and environmental advocates warn that approach ignores mounting evidence of damage across the plastic life cycle. A Lancet Countdown report released on the eve of the talks estimates plastics already impose health-related economic losses of more than US$1.5 trillion annually and traces output growth from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 475 million tonnes in 2022, with volumes on course to reach 1.2 billion tonnes by 2060. UN analysts project that, without intervention, plastic pollution could triple by 2040. Negotiators have until 14 August to bridge the divide between petrochemical producers and proponents of stricter global rules; failure to do so would likely defer any agreement and raise the prospect that the treaty—if concluded—relies on voluntary measures.