Every year, roughly 11 million tonnes of plastic waste slips through the cracks of our waste systems and flows into the oceans. That’s roughly like dumping a truck full of plastic garbage into the oceans every minute. If you can imagine that then you have an idea of how horrible it is. Good news is leaders around the world can equally picture this and are taking this more seriously as a result.

There are various current initiatives against marine plastic pollution gaining momentum across the globe. From global treaties being structured to divers hand picking bottles from the bottoms of seabeds, many of these initiatives are driving change. Here are a few highlights of some global initiatives to paint a picture.

The High Seas Treaty

In September 2025, Morocco became the 60th country to endorse the world’s first treaty which protects international waters. The High Seas Treaty will allow nations to establish marine protected areas beyond the national borders, safeguard biodiversity and regulate harmful activity. For marine plastic, this is a big deal because oceans will finally get rules that transcend politics.

The Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations

In Geneva, 184 countries came together to implement the world’s first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. This treaty isn’t just about banning straws or plastic containers; it’s about building capacity in communities, sharing technology between corporations & bodies and creating preventive systems that limit the harm of plastics in the environment. 

Tackling Plastic From Ships & Ports

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) launched a 2025 action plan to stop plastic waste on ships getting into the ocean.  This plan includes training for seafarers, better port reception facilities and crackdowns on ghost fishing gear. Additionally, the GloLitter Partnerships Project which focuses on supporting developing nations with the tools and policies to properly manage marine waste and there’s a serious set of sea-based policies.

Regional & Local Action

It’s important to note that not all actions come from high-level treaties; sometimes, it’s from the average person making a phenomenal effort. In Greece, divers have been cleaning seabeds in the Alonissos marine park. They’ve hauled up tyres, bottles, metal debris and many other impurities that threaten marine life. In East Asia, countries like the Philippines and Timor-Leste are part of the Marine Plastics ODA Project, collaborating on governance and grassroot solutions. And lastly in South Australia, authorities recently placed a ban on tiny fish soy sauce packets – because even those small plastics contribute towards a bigger problem.

The general message? Progress towards sustainability is global, varied and happening fast.

Where the Cracks Still Show

Although we have all this momentum, some challenges still remain.

• Around 80% of marine plastics originate on land and get carried by rivers into the ocean
• In various countries, recycling and waste systems are still underfunded or non-existent
• Policies will take time to bring change as habits are hard to shift. It’s one thing to pass a treaty, it’s another thing to convince millions of people to ditch what they’ve been used to for eons.

And that is where all of us come in. The real change fully depends on the everyday choices of billions of individuals. That’s you, me, the items in our houses and the habits we all have.

How We Can Play A Role

We don’t need to attend summits in Geneva or draft international laws to be part of the solution. Small consistent choices of ours have ripple effects and when multiplied by millions of people, starts the systemic change. Here are a couple of ways to start creating that impact

• A list of 5 ways to stay to stay sustainable all year around
• Some reusable Christmas ideas
• A list of 9 ways to reduce daily packaging and waste
• Support brands that design with recycled, ocean-bound plastics or brands that eliminate unnecessary packaging.
• Participate in your community / neighbourhood with events focused on sustainability. These help raise visibility
• Create awareness by talking to friends, family and colleagues. Share articles like this one to increase social awareness. The more people understand the scale and have facts, the higher the momentum.

Conclusion

Marine plastic initiatives are global and require a lot of effort. However, they can only succeed if we shrink the problem at the source; our daily lives and habits. Think of it this way –

If world leaders can agree to ban soy sauce fish packets, we could definitely retire that single-use water bottle lingering around the house