In June 2016, HEJSupport, SSNC and groundWorkSA published feedback to the three letters and an Additional note issued by newly elected INC Chair Julio Cordano between February and June 2026 titled “From Busan Deadlock to a New Negotiation Phase: What the Three Letters and Additional Note from the INC Chair Reveal About the Road to INC-5.4“.
In August 2026, the INC Chair published Aid to Negotiations: an informal reference document that does not constitute a negotiated or agreed draft Plastics Treaty text; however, it is supposed to assist in the coming discussions as countries move toward the fourth part of the fifth session of the INC (INC-5.4).
Below is a reflection on the Aid to Negotiations paper, prepared through a focused comparison of the Chair’s new Aid to Negotiations with earlier draft treaty texts, concentrating on provisions most relevant to chemicals of concern, product design, transparency, traceability, and toxic-free circularity. We examined not only which concepts remain in the new Aid, but also which previously proposed obligations, mechanisms and options have been weakened or removed. We paid particular attention to the shift from globally coordinated measures to nationally determined approaches, and to whether the remaining provisions can lead to effective global action. The analysis also considered lessons from existing multilateral environmental agreements, particularly regarding science-based decision-making and consensus. Finally, the assessment drew on our recent work on chemical transparency and traceability, Knowing What Chemicals Are in Products – Why transparency and traceability of chemicals are essential for product safety, circularity and the right to know, including the need for globally harmonized disclosure requirements and mechanisms that keep chemical information linked to products and materials throughout their life cycle. The reflection therefore aims both to identify gaps in the current Aid and to highlight elements from earlier negotiating texts that should be restored and strengthened.
