How can India lead the world to a single-use plastic-free future?

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), single-use plastics represent 36 per cent of global plastic production, of which an estimated 85 per cent is mismanaged. Several reports highlight that the cost of mismanagement far outweighs the cost of proper plastic waste management. In response, over 120 countries have banned or restricted some form of single-use plastic products, demonstrating strong willingness among member states negotiating the Plastic Pollution Treaty to act against these products.

However, inconsistencies in regulations across countries and provinces/states have made the implementation of these bans more challenging than anticipated.

The agenda of banning single-use plastic items is a high priority for the Government of India. In his Independence Day speech in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for India to become free of single-use plastics. Again, in 2025, on the occasion of World Environment Day, the Prime Minister reiterated: “We are resolute in our efforts to reduce single-use plastic and microplastic pollution for sustainable development.” 

India’s journey to combat single use plastics started with a criteria-based framework to identify problematic and unnecessary products. The ban’s methodology was grounded in a logical and scientific approach, assessing items based on utility, economic value and environmental impact. A total of 40 single-use plastic products — including carry bags, small plastic bottles, intravenous (saline) bottles and tea bags — were evaluated using this criteria-based method.

This framework led to the identification and subsequent ban of 19 single-use plastic items from being produced, stocked, distributed, sold or used in the Indian market. India’s science-driven approach provides a replicable model to assess any single-use plastic product for its utility and environmental impact.

India’s criteria-based approach could guide the adoption of global bans and phaseouts for single-use plastic bans in the Plastic Pollution Treaty negotiations. India’s national model is aligned with submissions from other member states advocating a global criteria-based approach. This framework could serve as the foundation for a comprehensive, logical and science-based global policy on single-use plastics. According to civil society organisations tracking the treaty negotiations, over 140 member states have called for global bans and phase-outs.

Following five meetings of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to end plastic pollution — including in the marine environment — meaningful progress has been made towards phasing out single-use plastics globally. The Chair’s text, presented by Louis Vayas Valdivieso, borrows concepts and ideas from India’s robust methodology.

A comparison of India’s criteria for single-use plastic bans with the Chair’s text reveals significant alignment. Article 3 on Plastic Products includes shared criteria such as littering propensity, environmental impact, recyclability and availability of alternatives. Moreover, India’s framework could support the proposed “Review Committee” by providing additional dimensions, including product safety, essentiality and socio-economic impact.

Global bans on specific single-use plastics would significantly reduce the financial burden on governments for waste management and cleanup.

According to a study by Earth Action, commissioned by conservation organisation World Wide Fund for Nature, which examined four single-use plastic items — straws, stirrers, earbuds and cutlery — the socio-economic benefits of bans and phase-outs are considerable. Under a business-as-usual scenario where these items continue to circulate globally, governments could incur waste management costs of nearly $15 billion between 2025 and 2040. Meanwhile, the global cost of mismanaged single-use plastics could exceed $2.5 trillion.

However, if immediate bans are enacted by 2028, governments could save around $12 billion in waste management and mismanagement costs could drop by up to $2 trillion. Such measures would also stimulate growth in the global alternatives market, projected to be worth over $15 billion during the same period.

Annexure Y of the Chair’s text presents an initial list of plastic products being considered for global bans and phase-outs, covering a broader range than the Earth Action study. India’s national ban is notably more comprehensive, encompassing packaging films for specific applications and selective bans on plastic carry bags.

This positions India as a global leader with technical expertise, scientifically grounded bans and practical experience in targeted plastic regulation. India’s national system can serve as a model for global phase-outs of the most problematic plastic products under the forthcoming Global Plastic Pollution Treaty. Having already taken bold domestic steps, Prime Minister Modi and the Indian delegation are well placed to champion a single-use plastic-free planet.