🛁 Global Plastics Treaty Update - Fionn's Green Journey

Why the Plastics Treaty Failed (And Our Fightback Kit)

Hello Eco-Champions 💚,

Imagine coming home to find your bathtub overflowing. The water is pouring out, ruining the floors, soaking the carpet, and destroying the ceiling below.

What do you do first? Do you grab a mop and start cleaning up the mess on the floor? Or do you turn off the tap?

For the last two years, the world has been trying to write a Global Plastics Treaty. We were promised it would be the hand that turns off the tap. But after the talks collapsed in Geneva this August, we have to face a hard reality: the “mop lobby” won.

🌍 The “Paris Agreement” That Wasn’t

The Global Plastics Treaty was supposed to be a legally binding international law to cap plastic production. It was our “Paris Agreement” moment. The science is clear: we produce 460 million tons of plastic a year. By 2040, that number is set to double.

There were two sides at the negotiating table:
The High Ambition Coalition (75+ countries): Led by Rwanda, Norway, and the EU. They wanted to limit how much plastic companies can make. (Turning off the tap).
The Petro-Bloc: Led by Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran. They refused to discuss production limits. They only wanted to talk about “waste management” and “recycling.” (Buying more mops).

The Trap (Rule 38): The UN operates on a rule called “Consensus.” It means that for a line to be included in the treaty, everyone has to agree. Imagine trying to order dinner for 170 people, but if one person says “no pizza,” nobody eats. The Petro-Bloc used this rule to veto the production cap.

So, here we are. The tap is still running.

🧪 Why “Recycling” Is The Ultimate Gaslight

“But Fionn,” you might ask, “Isn’t better recycling good?”… As a scientist, I can tell you: No. Not if it’s the only solution.

Plastic isn’t simple. It’s a cocktail of over 16,000 chemicals. When you melt different plastics together, you create a toxic soup that is often too dangerous to use again. That is why less than 9% of all plastic ever made has been recycled.

The industry pushes recycling because it allows them to keep pumping oil. As long as they can blame us for not putting the bottle in the right bin, they don’t have to change the business model.

🛡️ Your Personal Defense Shield

The treaty failed to protect us this year. That means we have to protect ourselves. Here are three high-value changes you can make to “turn off the tap” in your own life.

1. The Water Defense (Health) 🚰 New data from 2025 shows that microplastics are now omnipresent in tap water, but bottled water is worse (containing up to 50% more particles due to the packaging). So avoid bottled water.

2. The Laundry Hack (Ocean) 🌊 35% of all ocean plastic pollution comes from our clothes, specifically, microfibers shedding in the wash.
- You don’t need expensive gadgets.
- Wash on COLD (30°C or lower). Heat breaks down fibers.
- Reduce SPIN SPEED (700 rpm instead of 1200).
- These two changes reduce fiber shedding by 30-50%.

3. The Wallet Vote (Power) 📉 You might be funding the “Petro-Bloc” without knowing it.
Check your pension or investment fund. If you own a standard “S&P 500” tracker, you own Exxon and Dow Chemical, the companies lobbying to kill the treaty. Look for “Plastic-Free” ETFs or “Fossil Free” funds. Divestment hits them where it hurts.

4. Support the Green Journey Coalition We are actively working on filtration options for micriplastic removal. Feel free to suport our registered 501 c(3) nonprofit by upgrading to a paid substack subscription of this newsletter or donating here

❄️ What I’ve Been Up To in December

• Media Blitz: Recording TV and podcast pieces across the UK, Ireland, Zürich, and Munich, sharing the microplastics fight far and wide.

• First Ski Day: Hit the slopes for the first time this winter, crisp air, fresh tracks, pure joy 🏔️❄️.

• New Home Vibes: Moved into my Zürich Old Town spot with epic help from Lea, Michel, and Dewa.

• Red Carpet Closes: Wrapped the year with some end-of-season glamour, smiles, spotlights, and sustainable swag.

🌟 Random Things I’m Loving Lately

• Motivation Anthem: This incredible track has me powered through deadlines 🎧.

• PhD Hack: Receipt printer + pinboard for ideas and tasks, analog chaos turned genius organization.

• Ice skating with new friends in Vienna, twirls, laughs, and that perfect winter glow. Thanks for the invite Malou! ⛸️.

• Coastal hike in Saint-Tropez, salty air, wild waves, soul reset 🌊.

• This champagne punch… loved it a little too much at month’s end: 🥂.

• Thanks again Michel for being my incredible personal Photographer.

BAMBI Award ✨

Winning the BAMBI from Hubert Burda Media for my Earth work was pure magic, a red carpet dream come true, spotlights blazing under München skies. Rea Garvey as laudator? Heart-exploding gratitude, his words lit a fire. Endless thanks to every supporter who’s cheered this journey… your belief turns solo lab fights into global waves 💚.

Wishing you a warm, restorative holiday season filled with light, laughter, and moments of quiet wonder, however you celebrate (or don’t). Here’s to turning the page on 2025 with fierce hearts and clearer waters ahead.

Stay curious, stay kind,

💚 Fionn

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This edition of Fionn’s Green Journey is fully carbon offset, thanks to the amazing support from Atlas Project! Each tree emoji below represents a verified tree planted to offset our digital footprint.👣

🌟 This Month: A new Mango Tree has taken root! 🥭

Fionn’s Green Journey Forest

🌲 🌳 🌴 🌿 🥑🌴🌿🌳🌲🌳🥭🌴🌴🌺🥭

🌲 = White Fir, 🌳 = Black Ironwood, 🌴 = Indian Cedar, 🌿 = Red Mangrove, 🌺 = Pomegranate, 🍋 = Lemon tree, 🥑 = Avocado tree, 🥭 = Mango tree

Watch the forest grow with every edition. Feel free to request exact coordinates 🥾✨