The chairman of talks aiming for an international treaty to rein in pollution from plastics issued a document on Friday outlining measures that could furnish the basis of a pact, in an attempt to spur discussions as a Dec.

Negotiators at the fifth round of talks aimed at securing an international treaty to curb plastic pollution were striving on Friday to speed up sluggish proceedings and reach a deal by a Dec. 1 deadline.

Canadian negotiators at the United Nations plastic pollution treaty talks in South Korea said Thursday they are working "around the clock" to finalize an agreement, though the process has been predictably difficult.

A fifth round of talks aimed at securing an international treaty to curb plastic pollution had seen slow progress as the halfway point approaches, delegates said on Wednesday, fuelling doubts that a deal can be reached by a Dec.

Canadian officials say negotiations on an international plastics treaty have been predictably difficult, with no indication yet on whether there will even be a treaty at all.