EU grant money was used to fund a media workshop on plastic pollution that was run in partnership with a fossil fuel lobby group, DeSmog can reveal.

The event, held in May, came at a crucial time – just months before the start of the latest UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations. The latest round, running from 5 to 14 August, hopes to create the world’s first legally binding agreement on plastic waste.

The oil industry has a powerful voice in plastics negotiations. Its lobbyists have flooded UN treaty negotiations in numbers that dwarf some national delegations, and have embedded themselves as official representatives within delegations from countries including China, Egypt, and Finland.

Meanwhile, environmental non-profits and indigenous groups have reported being systematically marginalised from discussions that will shape global plastics policy.

Big oil’s lobbying efforts have centred on opposing proposals to cap plastic production, instead advocating for a focus on waste management, which involves collecting and disposing of plastic materials.