Can the world beat plastic pollution in 2025?

Marine litter is a trans-boundary issue that has gained attention at international negotiations over the last decade. In fact, it is one of the foundations on which the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) adopted resolution 5/14 to develop a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has reported that plastics account for at least 85 per cent of marine litter.

While the sources of marine litter can range from mismanaged solid waste, fishing activities, tourism activities, and more, these challenges can largely be addressed through interventions such as enforcing existing policies like bans on single-use plastics (SUP) and extended producer responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging. Strengthening operational aspects, including segregation, collection, and processing of plastic waste can significantly curb the flow of plastic litter into the marine environment.

However, it is crucial to recognise that plastic pollution is not merely a waste management or litter issue. It is fundamentally a problem rooted in unsustainable production and consumption patterns. The world today is using plastic products that are often designed for single use and lack viable end-of-life solutions. This unsustainable system has far-reaching socio-economic implications: it disproportionately affects marginalised communities who bear the brunt of poor waste management practices and live near polluted rivers and coastlines. Furthermore, the environmental havoc caused by plastic pollution from harming marine biodiversity to disrupting entire ecosystems stress the urgent need for systemic change.

One major source of marine litter is the shipping sector and the industries that are involved in the production of primary plastic polymers or virgin plastics —raw materials that are used to make plastic products. A recent event has jolted the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in southern India introducing a pollutant that cannot be remediated.

On May 25, 2025, the Liberian-flagged container ship MSC ELSA 3 capsized approximately 38 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala, while en route from the newly inaugurated Vizhinjam deepwater transhipment port to the port of Kochi. A mechanical failure in the ballast tank led to the vessel’s capsizing. All of the 24 crew members were safely rescued by the Indian Coast Guard and Navy. The ship was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containers with hazardous materials such as calcium carbide. The vessel was also carrying tiny plastic pellets or ‘nurdles’. Though the exact quantity of the nurdles that the ship was carrying is not known, about 858 bags weighing approximately 22 tonnes were recovered from the ocean post the accident.

These plastic granules or nurdles look and feel similar to coloured lentils and are the raw materials used for making all conventional fossil fuel-based plastic products. The plastic pellets have been continuously washing ashore post the incident on the coastlines of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, particularly in areas like Kochu Veli, Thumba, and Vettukad. Ocean currents have further transported these nurdles to Tamil Nadu’s Kanniyakumari district, raising concerns about potential threats to the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar.

We must take note that India is on the crossroads of the global nurdles trade. India’s maritime location between the Strait of Hormuz and Strait of Malacca places it in a unique position between the Persian Gulf region and the Far East. India is at the centre of this trade, with a very robust and strong petrochemical industry. The plastic trade also is steadily increasing. In the fiscal year 2024-25, India’s plastics exports reached $12.5 billion, marking an eight per cent increase from the previous year. According to Volza’s India Export data, between November 2023 and October 2024, India exported 3,402 shipments of plastic granules to 86 countries including Australia, Ireland, Spain, etc. During the same time period, India imported 5,563 shipments of plastic granules from exporters in the US, Vietnam and Singapore. All of these figures point to the giant plastic industry and its intricate relation to international trade and marine litter.

More than 100,000 ships are estimated to transit close to Indian coastal shores every year. Shipping and maritime activities are a major contributor to marine litter in the Indian Ocean region. Accidental or deliberate cargo spills and improper vessel discharges are contributing to over 0.6 million metric tons of plastic waste that is entering the Indian Ocean region every year.

In May 2021, the Singapore-registered container ship X-Press Pearl caught fire and sank off the coast of Colombo, Sri Lanka releasing approximately 1,680 metric tons of nurdles into the Indian Ocean. Today, it stands as one of the most catastrophic marine plastic pollution events in history. The spill released an estimated 70-75 billion nurdles, each about 5 mm in size, which blanketed over 31 miles of Sri Lanka’s western coastline. The disaster spurred increased public awareness and involvement in environmental protection. Organizations like The Pearl Protectors launched campaigns such as ‘Nurdle Free Lanka’ to engage volunteers in clean-up efforts and advocate for stronger environmental policies. Sri Lanka initially filed for $40 million in damages. However, a 40-member expert committee later estimated the environmental and economic impact at $6.4 billion.

Developing countries like India and Sri Lanka don’t have a policy to deal with marine litter, especially incidents such as plastic pellet spills. In India, the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences is mandated by the Government of India to deal with issues such as marine litter and micro plastic pollution. The National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) is actively monitoring and conducting research to gauge the socio economic and environmental impact of micro plastics and marine litter.

The problem of plastic pellet spill is not restricted to the Global South. Every year, there are multiple incidents of nurdles being washed off to beaches around the world. The North Sea ship collision in March this year risked the marine life around Norfolk, UK and its surrounding area. Countries, therefore, need to come together to build an international regulation not just for the transportation of nurdles but to address the issue of plastic pollution throughout its life cycle - from production, design, use, disposal and leakages.

In the space of multilateral environmental agreements, more than 180 member states have come together through the intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) to end plastic pollution across the life cycle of plastics including in the marine environment. The committee has met five times over the last three years to deliberate on critical issues such as plastic products, chemicals of concern, and product design among other issues such as production caps for primary polymers. In its fifth meeting in Busan, South Korea, the committee failed to reach consensus on at least three key articles with oil and plastic-producing countries blocking the adoption of legally binding text.

Now, all eyes are on Geneva where the committee is set to meet in early August this year. The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) will decide the fate of plastic pollution and whether the world is united to take this challenge head on. With shrinking funds in environmental conservation, this might be our last chance to beat plastic pollution.