Northeastern Delegation at Plastics Negotiations
“To be effective, the global plastics treaty must address the real-world architecture of the plastics economy, where trade is the connective tissue.” says Prof. Maria Ivanova. “Trade must be reimagined as a tool for transformation. If trade is the connective tissue of the plastics crisis, it must also be part of the cure.”
At the plastics negotiations, INC-5.2, in Geneva, governments failed to agree on a global treaty, but Northeastern’s delegation underscored the critical role of academia in tackling global challenges.
Led by Prof. Maria Ivanova, the delegation engaged UN officials, business leaders, NGOs, and US congressional staff to share our interdisciplinary vision for eliminating plastic pollution. The delegation included Prof. Aron Stubbins, Nicole Vandale, Olga Skaredina, Prof. Kirsten Rodine-Hardy, and Davis Bookhart.
The team left with renewed urgency and momentum, building partnerships to position the Plastics Center at Northeastern as a catalyst for lasting solutions.
“The Thinker’s Burden,” a 6-meter-tall sculptural remix of Rodin’s iconic Thinker, which was created for the INC 5.2 Global Plastics Pollution Treaty negotiations by Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong. Crafted from papier mâché, wood, and steel, and covered in living vines, the sculpture was gradually engulfed by a mounting wave of plastic waste throughout the negotiations — a visual metaphor for the toxic legacy being passed on to future generations.