LESSONS TRANSLATED: CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AS KNOWLEDGE BROKERS IN GLOBAL PLASTIC TREATY NEGOTIATIONS
Keywords:
Knowledge Brokers, Civil Society Organizations, Global Plastic Treaty, Digital Activism, Institutional Interplay
Abstract
Plastic pollution has become a defining global environmental challenge, leading the UNDP to mandate the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to negotiate for a legally binding instrument. However, after six rounds of negotiations between 2022 and 2025, the process concluded without consensus or an adopted treaty, reflecting deep political cleavages. On one side, the High Ambition Coalition (HAC), comprising Global South states heavily impacted by plastic waste and Global North states with strong environmental standards, pushed for a comprehensive and stringent agreement. On the other side, oil-producer states and major plastic-producing countries resisted binding provisions on production and trade, favouring a business-as-usual approach. Within this contested landscape, civil society organizations (CSOs) played a pivotal role not only as advocates but also as knowledge brokers. This study examines how CSOs brokered knowledge during INC negotiations through informal arenas such as side-events and technical workshops, where they translated complex treaty language, reframed plastics as issues of justice and human rights, and reinforced HAC positions. Beyond negotiation halls, CSOs extended their brokerage through digital activism, transforming lessons from these arenas into webinars, infographics, and social media campaigns that disseminated knowledge globally. The analysis highlights how digital technologies amplify CSO brokerage, bridging global governance with community mobilization.
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References
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Benford, R. D., & Snow, D. A. (2000). Framing Processes and Social Movements: An Overview and Assessment. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 611–639.
Betsill, M. M., & Corell, E. (2008). NGO Influence in International Environmental Negotiations: A Framework for Analysis. In International Environmental Governance. Routledge.
Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
Brooks, A. L., Wang, S., & Jambeck, J. R. (2018). The Chinese import ban and its impact on global plastic waste trade. Science Advances, 4(6), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aat0131
Chew, S., Armstrong, N., & Martin, G. P. (2022). Understanding knowledge brokerage and its transformative potential: A Bourdieusian perspective. Evidence & Policy, 18(1), 25–42. https://doi.org/10.1332/174426421X16149632470114
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (Fourth edition). SAGE.
Dauvergne, P. (2018). Why is the global governance of plastic failing the oceans? Global Environmental Change, 51, 22–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.05.002
Dauvergne, P., Allan, J. I., Beaudoin, S., Carney Almroth, B., Clapp, J., Cowan, E., de Groot, B., Farrelly, T., Grilli, N. de M., Mah, A., Mendenhall, E., Paik, R., Ralston, R., Stoett, P., Stöfen-O’Brien, A., Taggart, J., Tiller, R., Villarrubia-Gómez, P., & Vince, J. (2025). Competing axes of power in the global plastics treaty: Understanding the politics of progress and setbacks in negotiating a high-ambition agreement. Marine Policy, 181, 106820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106820
Denzin, N. K. (2012). Triangulation 2.0*. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 6(2), 80–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689812437186
Fuller, S., Ngata, T., Borrelle, S. B., & Farrelly, T. (2022). Plastics pollution as waste colonialism in Te Moananui. Journal of Political Ecology, 29(1). https://doi.org/10.2458/jpe.2401
Gehring, T., & Oberthür, S. (2009). The Causal Mechanisms of Interaction between International Institutions. European Journal of International Relations, 15(1), 125–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354066108100055
Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances, 3(7), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1700782
Godfrey, L., & Oelofse, S. (2017). Historical Review of Waste Management and Recycling in South Africa. Resources, 6(4), 57. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6040057
Haas, P. M. (1992). Introduction: Epistemic communities and international policy coordination. International Organization, 46(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020818300001442
Hall, N., Schmitz, H. P., & Dedmon, J. M. (2020). Transnational Advocacy and NGOs in the Digital Era: New Forms of Networked Power. International Studies Quarterly, 64(1), 159–167. https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqz052
Jasanoff, S. (1997). NGOs and the environment: From knowledge to action. Third World Quarterly, 18(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436599714885
Kawulich, B. B. (2005). Participant Observation as a Data Collection Method. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-6.2.466
Keck, M. E., & Sikkink, K. (1999). Transnational advocacy networks in international and regional politics. International Social Science Journal, 51(159), Article 159. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2451.00179
MacKillop, E., Connell, A., Downe, J., & Durrant, H. (2023). Making sense of knowledge-brokering organisations: Boundary organisations or policy entrepreneurs? Science and Public Policy, 50(6), 950–960. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scad029
McIntyre, O. (2020). Addressing Marine Plastic Pollution as a ‘Wicked’ Problem of Transnational Environmental Governance (SSRN Scholarly Paper No. 3637482). Social Science Research Network. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3637482
Oberthür, S., & Gehring, T. (2006). Institutional Interaction in Global Environmental Governance: The Case of the Cartagena Protocol and the World Trade Organization. Global Environmental Politics, 6(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.1162/glep.2006.6.2.1
Oberthür, S., & Stokke, O. S. (Eds.). (2011). Managing Institutional Complexity: Regime Interplay and Global Environmental Change. The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262015912.001.0001
Raubenheimer, K., & McIlgorm, A. (2018). Can the Basel and Stockholm Conventions provide a global framework to reduce the impact of marine plastic litter? Marine Policy, 96, 285–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.01.013
Resolution 5/14. End Plastic Pollution: Towards an International Legally Binding Instrument, UN Doc. UNEP/EA.5/Res.14, United Nations Environmental Assembly 5 (2022).
Schuyler, Q., Hardesty, B. D., Lawson, T., Opie, K., & Wilcox, C. (2018). Economic incentives reduce plastic inputs to the ocean. Marine Policy, 96, 250–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.02.009
Setiawan, F. A. (2022). The Basel Convention as an Evolving Treaty Regime: Implications of the Ban Amendment and Plastic Waste Amendment [Doctoral Dissertation]. Kobe University.
Sorce, G., & Dumitrica, D. (2022). Transnational dimensions in digital activism and protest. Review of Communication, 22(3), 157–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/15358593.2022.2107877
UNEP. (2022, September 30). Towards a Global Plastics Treaty: Perspectives on Key Considerations for Negotiators, Governments, Businesses, and All Stakeholders in the Plastics Ecosystem.
UNEP. (2025). Press Release: Talks on global plastic pollution treaty adjourn without consensus. https://www.unep.org/inc-plastic-pollution/media
Ward, V., House, A., & Hamer, S. (2009a). Developing a Framework for Transferring Knowledge Into Action: A Thematic Analysis of the Literature. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 14(3), 156–164. https://doi.org/10.1258/jhsrp.2009.008120
Ward, V., House, A., & Hamer, S. (2009b). Knowledge brokering: The missing link in the evidence to action chain? Evidence & Policy, 5(3), 267–279. https://doi.org/10.1332/174426409X463811
Young, O. R. (2002). Institutional Interplay: The Environmental Consequences of Cross-Scale Interactions. In E. Ostrom, T. Dietz, N. Dolšak, P. C. Stern, S. Stonich, & E. U. Weber (Eds.), The Drama of the Commons. National Academy Press.
Published
2025-10-30
How to Cite
SETIAWAN, F. (2025). LESSONS TRANSLATED: CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AS KNOWLEDGE BROKERS IN GLOBAL PLASTIC TREATY NEGOTIATIONS. ICCD, 7(1), 725-732. https://doi.org/10.33068/iccd.v7i1.938
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