New members include Angola, Bangladesh, Gabon, Guatemala, Kenya, Senegal & Tanzania.

About Global Plastic Action Partnership

• Launched: during WEF's Sustainable Development Impact Summit in 2018
  • It acts  as a plastic pillar of the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy and Friends of Ocean Action.
• Present members: 25 (including Maharashtra State from India)
• Objectives: accelerate global response to plastic pollution crisis (by bringing together governments, businesses, civil society), advance circular plastics economy to reduce emissions & protect land and ocean ecosystems.
• Key activities: Helps countries in developing National Action Roadmaps & Investment Mobilization for waste management

Challenges related to handling of Global Plastic Waste

• Scalability: Globally,  plastic waste has more than doubled since 2000. (OECD’s Global Plastic Outlook Report ,2022).
  • In 2024, India became the world’s largest plastic emitter country
• Limited Recycling: Only 9% of plastic waste was ultimately recycled, while 19% was incinerated and almost 50% went to sanitary landfills.

Impact of Plastic Waste

• On Environment: It affects all land, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. It leads to biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and contributes to climate change.
  • Plastic pollution is responsible for an estimated 1.8 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, especially Methane from landfills.
• On Health: Plastics in the form of microplastics damages animal and human health by entering the food chain.
• On Economy: leads to decline in income of sectors such as tourism, fisheries, agriculture, and water safety.