Marine plastic pollution and extended producer responsibility in the G20

The report examines how G20 nations, which generate approximately two-thirds of global plastic waste, can utilize extended producer responsibility (EPR) to combat marine plastic pollution. Through a scoping review of 100 sources, it identifies a disparity in effectiveness between mandatory and voluntary EPR schemes, noting that mandatory systems generally achieve higher recycling collection rates. The document provides a detailed mapping of EPR regulations across G20 members and proposes a multi-level approach combining legislative strengthening, market incentives for recycled plastics, technological innovation in ecodesign, and the formal integration of informal waste workers to prevent plastic leakage into the oceans.

• G20 countries are critical to global plastic waste management as they generate approximately two-thirds of the world's plastic waste.
• Mandatory EPR schemes are significantly more effective at collecting plastic for recycling than voluntary or non-existent schemes, achieving around 40% collection rates compared to 15% for voluntary and 10% for those with no EPR.
• Marine plastic pollution is dominated by land-based sources (80%) and is primarily composed of six polymers: polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene.
• The report identifies several systemic challenges to EPR, including a lack of financial incentives for producers to use recycled plastics, insufficient waste infrastructure in rural areas, and the problem of 'orphan' products—low-value, lightweight plastics that are difficult to collect.
• Informal waste workers play a substantial role in the plastic waste chain, yet are rarely addressed in literature; the report recommends integrating them into formal systems through capacity-building and registration.
• The report suggests that a combination of policies is necessary, ranging from globally binding conventions to local implementation, focusing on the entire plastic life cycle from production to disposal.
• Specific technological gaps exist, particularly the lack of a mainstream solution for recycling multi-material multilayer plastic packaging for the next 5-10 years.

APA

Jokiaho, J., Rezaie, S., & Vanhuyse, F. (2025). Marine plastic pollution and extended producer responsibility in the G20. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/marine-plastic-pollution-epr-sei2025-036.pdf

Chicago

Jokiaho, Julia, Shogofa Rezaie, and Fedra Vanhuyse. Marine plastic pollution and extended producer responsibility in the G20. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2025. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/marine-plastic-pollution-epr-sei2025-036.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jokiaho |first1=Julia |last2=Rezaie |first2=Shogofa |last3=Vanhuyse |first3=Fedra |title=Marine plastic pollution and extended producer responsibility in the G20 |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=August 2025 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/marine-plastic-pollution-epr-sei2025-036.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jokiaho2025marine, author = {Jokiaho, Julia and Rezaie, Shogofa and Vanhuyse, Fedra}, title = {{Marine plastic pollution and extended producer responsibility in the G20}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/marine-plastic-pollution-epr-sei2025-036.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }