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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Global Plastic Pollution and the Transition Towards a Circular Economy: Lessons from the EU’s Legal Framework on Plastics
ClearConcretising the role of extended producer responsibility in European Union waste law and policy through the lens of the circular economy
This review examines the evolution of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) within European Union waste law and policy, analyzing how EPR instruments can be strengthened to drive more effective plastic waste prevention and recycling across the product lifecycle. The authors argue for more ambitious, harmonized EPR frameworks to reduce plastic pollution at its source.
The European Union and plastics
This paper reviewed the European Union's evolving legislative approach to plastics, covering the Single-Use Plastics Directive, microplastic restrictions, and the proposed plastics strategy within the Green Deal. It assessed progress toward reducing plastic pollution across the EU.
The Circular Economy in EU Policy as a Response to Contemporary Ecological Challenges
This article reviews how EU countries are implementing circular economy policies and progress toward reducing plastic waste, finding large variation across member states. Shifting from linear to circular plastic economies is critical for reducing the production of waste that generates microplastics.
Public policies to mitigate plastic pollution and adhere to the circular economy: A case study from Ecuador
This study examines Ecuador as a case study in public policy for plastic pollution management, analyzing national legislation including the Single-Use Plastics Rationalization Law and the Inclusive Circular Economy Law, concluding that Ecuador's regulatory framework offers a transferable model for other countries seeking to reduce plastic production and promote circular economy principles.
Transforming the Plastic Industry: Global Regulatory Evolution and Sustainability Trends (2018-2024)
Researchers analyzed the evolution of plastic governance frameworks across ten major economies from 2018 to 2024, documenting regulatory milestones including single-use plastic bans and extended producer responsibility schemes and assessing progress toward sustainability goals in the global plastics industry.
A policy portfolio approach to plastics throughout their life cycle: Supranational and national regulation in the European Union
This study systematically analyzed plastic regulations across the European Union, Denmark, Germany, and Poland over the past twenty years. The researchers found that while the number of plastic policies has grown dramatically, most rules focus on end-of-life waste management rather than reducing plastic production at the source. The study suggests that current regulatory approaches may not be enough to address the full lifecycle of plastic pollution, including the microplastics that result from plastic breakdown.
The Role of Legislation, Regulatory Initiatives and Guidelines on the Control of Plastic Pollution
This review examines existing plastic pollution regulations globally, finding that despite many proposals and national bans, the overall effectiveness of legislation is unclear and most measures focus narrowly on marine plastics or single-use items. The authors argue that laws often lag behind science and face practical limitations given how deeply embedded plastics are in daily life.
The rate of use of the Circular Economy in individual sectors
Not relevant to microplastics — this paper reviews the adoption of circular economy principles across industrial sectors within the European Union policy framework, without specific focus on plastic pollution.
From micro to macro: legal tools for combating plastic pollution at national, EU, and international levels
Researchers analyzed how laws at the national, European Union, and international levels have evolved to address microplastic pollution, tracing the shift from voluntary guidelines to binding rules like the EU's 2023 restriction on synthetic microparticles. The review identifies ongoing challenges — including inconsistent definitions and weak enforcement — and calls for stronger global governance to close the legal gaps.
The global governance of marine plastic pollution: rethinking the extended producer responsibility system
This paper analyzes the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system as a governance tool for tackling marine plastic pollution, comparing its implementation across the EU, US, and China. EPR requires plastic producers to take responsibility for the full lifecycle of their products, including waste management. The study identifies challenges in applying EPR internationally but argues it is essential for reducing the plastic waste that breaks down into the microplastics contaminating oceans and seafood.
Transforming the Global Plastics Economy: The Role of Economic Policies in the Global Governance of Plastic Pollution
This paper argues that addressing plastic pollution requires looking beyond waste management and marine cleanup to tackle the problem at its source, across the entire plastics life cycle including production, trade, and consumption. The authors trace how international policy discussions have evolved from voluntary approaches to regulatory frameworks, with over 100 governments calling for a new global plastics agreement. The research highlights the need for economic policies that address upstream production alongside downstream pollution.
Company reflexivity for plastics circularity : The transformative potential of reflexive environmental legislation in the EU
This study examines EU reflexive environmental legislation — including the Single-Use Plastics Directive and proposed packaging regulations — analyzing how legal frameworks can drive company-level behavioral change toward plastics circularity and upstream pollution reduction.
Circular economy measures to keep plastics and their value in the economy, avoid waste and reduce marine litter
This review argues that circular economy measures — including improved collection, reuse, recycling, and design for end-of-life — are necessary to keep plastic value in the economy while reducing the estimated 5-15 million tonnes of plastic entering oceans annually. Researchers present a framework of policy and industry measures to transition away from the current linear 'make-use-dispose' model that drives marine litter accumulation.
Enhanced plastic economy: a perspective and a call for international action
This perspective argues that the current plastic circular economy is too narrowly focused on recycling, reuse, and energy recovery, and calls for an enhanced framework that prioritizes innovation and coordinated international action to reduce plastic pollution. A broader approach targeting all lifecycle stages is proposed.
Plastics in transition: Global regulations and emerging technologies for sustainable management
This review analyzes how global plastic regulations (single-use bans, extended producer responsibility schemes, international treaties) interact with emerging cleanup technologies (chemical recycling, photocatalysis, biodegradation) and concludes that neither policy nor technology alone can solve microplastic pollution without coordinated socio-technical alignment. A key warning is that some emerging recycling and treatment technologies can themselves generate secondary microplastics and nanoplastics, meaning poorly designed solutions risk making the problem worse.
Legislation to limit the environmental plastic and microplastic pollution and their influence on human exposure
This review surveys global legislation aimed at limiting plastic and microplastic pollution, including bans on single-use items, recycling mandates, and clean-up initiatives across different countries. The study also discusses how these regulations may help reduce human exposure to plastics and their associated toxic chemicals, though enforcement and scope remain uneven worldwide.
The Environmental Challenges of Polythene and Production and Prevention Legislation in the World
This review examines the global environmental impact of polythene plastic pollution, discussing its effects on aquatic ecosystems and public health while analyzing the international and regional legislative frameworks aimed at reducing plastic production and use.
T20 Task Force Circular Economy: Circular economy measures to keep plastics and their value in the economy, avoid waste and reduce marine litter: Policy Brief for the G20, The 2030 Agenda Climate & Finance Trade & Investment
This T20 policy task force report proposed circular economy measures to reduce plastic pollution entering oceans, including extended producer responsibility, improved collection systems, and design standards for recyclability. It argues that current linear approaches to plastics are economically unsustainable as well as environmentally harmful.
Sustentabilidade: Materiais Plásticos, O Great Pacific Garbage Patch E Propostas Sustentáveis No Contexto Da Globalização Contemporânea
This Brazilian Portuguese legal and policy review analyzes international and domestic sustainability proposals around plastic pollution, including the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and European single-use plastic regulations. The author argues that no effective global plastic elimination program is possible without coordinated non-state institutional frameworks and enforcement mechanisms.
An International Legal Framework for Marine Plastics Pollution
This legal analysis reviews the current international framework for regulating marine plastics and identifies significant gaps and inconsistencies across treaties and agreements. The chapter argues that stronger, more unified global legal instruments are needed to effectively reduce plastic pollution in the world's oceans.
Reducing plastic waste
This paper examined strategies and policy mechanisms for reducing plastic waste, reviewing effectiveness of bans, extended producer responsibility, and behavior change interventions in different national contexts.
Exploring Plastic-Management Policy in China: Status, Challenges and Policy Insights
Researchers reviewed China's plastic management policies and found that despite being the world's largest plastic producer, existing regulations remain insufficient, recommending strengthened extended producer responsibility and circular economy approaches to control plastic pollution.
Legal and Policy Frameworks to Address Marine Litter Through Improved Livelihoods
This chapter reviews international and regional legal and policy frameworks addressing marine litter, examining how regulatory instruments can improve livelihoods while tackling plastic pollution across the product lifecycle from design to waste management.
Advancing the international regulation of plastic pollution beyond the United Nations Environment Assembly resolution on marine litter and microplastics
This legal paper reviews international frameworks relevant to plastic pollution and argues for a binding global agreement specifically targeting plastic pollution, beyond existing resolutions. A comprehensive international treaty is increasingly seen as necessary to meaningfully reduce plastic pollution, including microplastics.