Campaigners have said the meeting which is set to define a future global plastics treaty is being held in a city which is suffering from microplastic pollution in its air.

Greenpeace International said its investigation confirms that airborne microplastics are present in the urban air of Geneva, after sampling outdoors and in indoor spaces like cafés, public transport, and shops.

As governments enter the second week of the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, the organisation said the research highlights an invisible but widespread part of the plastic pollution crisis. It came at the EU warned action needed to be taken now to deliver a workable solution.

Graham Forbes, Global Plastics Campaign lead for Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace head of Delegation for the Global Plastics Treaty negotiation said: “Investigations like this show why we need to cut plastic production at the source. But the petrochemical industry continues to push for massive expansion in plastic production, which could triple by 2060. Just by walking around their cities, fossil fuel and petrochemical lobbyists are inhaling the plastics that they have produced, giving themselves potential health issues – and that includes here in Geneva as they hammer out the treaty.”

Greenpeace added Switzerland ranks 8th globally in waste management, yet Geneva’s air contains microplastic pollution, revealing just how pervasive and uncontainable plastic has become once released into the environment. As plastic production continues to grow, so will the scale and severity of this pollution.

Joëlle Hérin, expert and campaigner on consumption systems at Greenpeace Switzerland, said: “Even the best waste management systems can’t stop plastic from turning into air pollution. We are breathing in plastic, and it’s getting into our lungs. That should be a wake-up call for any government serious about public health and planetary survival.”

Greenpeace is calling for a legally binding treaty that cuts plastic production by at least 75% by 2040. It added currently, the petrochemical industry continues to push for massive expansion in plastic production, which could triple by 2060. Much of this is for short-lived products like single-use packaging and fast fashion, leading to a future of escalating plastic waste and microplastic exposure, regardless of how it is managed or recycled.

Hérin added: “We need political courage. Every year we delay means more plastic in the air, water, and our bodies. The science is clear: the time to act is now. We need a strong Global Plastics Treaty that cuts plastic production at the source, or it will fail.”

Erin Simon, Vice President, Plastic Waste & Business, World Wildlife Fund: “We’re nearly halfway through INC-5.2 and the same, tired tactics are still causing gridlock at the negotiating table. We’ve been here before, and we know the same old playbook doesn’t work.

“With so much at stake, the cost of inaction will have devastating consequences for generations to come. If we can’t turn this around, we risk leaving Geneva either empty-handed or with an empty treaty. It’s time for the majority to find their voice, choose a path and leave a legacy of progress not pollution.”

In the meeting itself European Union’s Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall (above)  said it was now time for action.

She said: “The world is watching; people everywhere want us to act against plastic pollution. We cannot miss this historic opportunity to land a global plastics treaty.”

She added: “The EU is ambitious and pragmatic. We seek consensus, but it requires real effort from all to progress. I therefore call on all Parties to be constructive and results- oriented. Everyone will need to compromise.

“The EU’s position is clear. We like plastics, it is a super product, and we will continue to need it. However, we don’t like plastic pollution.  It is time to end new plastic pollution as quickly as possible and help clean up the existing pollution that is choking our seas, getting into our food, and invading our bodies.

“We have a global responsibility to fix this. No country can do this on its own.”

Roswell said a treaty will answer the “strong demands” of citizens not just in the EU, but all around the world who are very, very concerned about their health and that of their children.

However she cautioned: “As said, the EU is ready to deal, but not at any cost. It’s time to get real and clinch the right deal.”