Gigantic sculpture by an artist at the United Nations symbolizes the weighty issue of plastic waste during contract discussions regarding its treatment
The global treaty talks on plastic pollution, held at the United Nations office in Geneva from August 5-14, 2025, aimed to finalize a legally binding treaty addressing the full lifecycle of plastics. Over 3,700 participants from 184 countries and over 600 organizations gathered to discuss the pressing issue, yet no consensus was reached on key issues such as imposing caps on new plastic production versus focusing on waste management, reuse, and improved design.
One of the highlights of the negotiations was the "Thinker's Burden" sculpture created by Canadian artist and activist Benjamin Von Wong. The sculpture, a take on Auguste Rodin's famous sculpture "The Thinker", symbolizes the mental and environmental weight of plastic waste. It features a male figure in deep thought, sitting atop Mother Earth while cradling a baby and clutching plastic bottles.
The sculpture, funded by the Minderoo Foundation, an Australian philanthropic organisation, is a poignant artistic representation of the global plastic pollution crisis addressed by the treaty talks. A strand of DNA intertwines the figure and the baby to highlight the health impacts of plastic pollution.
Benjamin Von Wong added plastic waste to the sculpture throughout the negotiations to reflect the growing cost of inaction. Michael Bonser, head of the Canadian delegation, considered the artwork "extraordinarily profound" and believed it gave them a sense of what they needed to do to reverse the trend of plastic pollution.
The EU pushed for an ambitious agreement addressing the entire lifecycle of plastics, including phasing out certain harmful plastic products and advocating for environmentally sound management of plastic waste. However, disagreements on whether the treaty should impose new plastic production caps or prioritize other measures like waste management and product design improvements have hindered progress.
Despite the lack of agreement this round, UN officials acknowledged the importance of continuing to engage in the process. European Commissioner Jessika Roswall expressed concern about the lack of progress and believed it's time to get results. Maria Ivanova, an expert in international environmental governance, said the sculpture "wakes you up".
Many delegates agree that the pace of the negotiations needs to speed up. The negotiations are in their second week and are scheduled to conclude on Thursday. The window remains open to leave Geneva with this treaty, and countries have expressed a strong desire to continue discussions in the future, though no new date has been set.
Local nonprofits and community groups collected the plastic trash used in the sculpture, demonstrating the collective effort needed to address the plastic pollution crisis. The sculpture serves as a powerful reminder of the urgent need for a global legal solution to plastic pollution, even though it is not formally part of the negotiation documents or processes reported.
- The sculpture created by Benjamin Von Wong, funded by the Minderoo Foundation, is a powerful symbol of the environmental weight of plastic waste in the context of climate-change and environmental-science.
- The European Commission is striving for an ambitious agreement on policy-and-legislation that addresses the entire lifecycle of plastics, including phasing out harmful plastic products and promoting environmentally sound plastic waste management.
- A lack of agreement on key issues, such as imposing caps on new plastic production versus focusing on waste management, reuse, and improved design, has hindered progress in the global treaty talks on plastic pollution, but the urgency of the issue, as symbolized by Von Wong's sculpture, continues to drive the need for action in the general-news and political arenas.
