Negotiations on a global treaty to end plastic pollution drew to a close in Geneva on Friday as nations remain deadlocked over whether to tackle the exponential growth of plastic production.

A new draft of the treaty was expected Thursday, the last scheduled day of negotiations, and a meeting for all of the delegates was scheduled.

It was repeatedly postponed until just before midnight. Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the chair of the negotiating committee, called delegates to the assembly hall, but said consultations on the revised draft were still ongoing.

He adjourned in less than a minute and quickly left the stage. Some in the audience gasped. They will reconvene Friday.

Many delegates said the current treaty text is unacceptable.

David Azoulay, Center for International Environmental Law CIEL said that the failure on an agreement signals that " the strategy that we saw from yesterday to present is a mockery of a text that could not have been accepted by anyone, was not the right strategy.”

A draft of the treaty released Wednesday wouldn’t limit plastic production or address chemicals used in plastic products.

Instead, it's centered on proposals where there's broad agreement — such as reducing the number of problematic plastic products that often enter the environment and are difficult to recycle, promoting the redesign of plastic products so they can be recycled and reused, and improving waste management.

It asks nations to make commitments to ending plastic pollution, rather than imposing global, legally-binding rules.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the “lack of ambition” in the draft treaty was unacceptable, and that agreeing to a global treaty against plastic pollution “is our opportunity to make a difference.”

The talks involve representatives from 184 countries and more than 600 organizations.

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