Plastic pollution is a global, transboundary problem requiring urgent coordinated policy action on all levels, from local to international.
Addressing the plastic problem
Around the world, many countries and businesses have adopted measures to reduce plastic pollution, including banning certain plastic items such as bags or straws, introducing better waste collection, sorting and recycling facilities, and introducing taxes to discourage the use of certain plastics in products. But it’s not enough to look at interventions in isolation, and current policy approaches are fragmented, reactionary, and have not reflected the scale of production. The entire life cycle of plastics along with contexts and frameworks within which the policies are applied must be considered holistically to identify sustainable solutions.
To do so, evidence-based analysis of plastics policies is needed to help policy-makers and decision-makers successfully tackle plastic pollution and its effects on people and the planet. And this is exactly what our team at the Global Plastics Policy Centre aims to achieve.
Visit the Global Plastics Policy Centre website
Current policies to tackle plastics
The existing plastic policy landscape often addresses specific plastic products or stages within the plastics lifecycle in an isolated way that inhibits joined-up approaches to tackle the plastic problem.
We are tackling key themes within the plastics policy landscape, most notably on the Global Plastics Treaty process, reuse regulations, national planning, circularity requirements, and extended producer responsibility (EPR).
While countries are developing national policies to address plastic pollution, discussions are also underway at the international level on a legally binding global agreement on plastics. Agreed by 175 countries at the UN Environment Assembly, the Global Plastics Treaty aims to establish a coordinated international framework to tackle plastic pollution across the full plastics lifecycle. The negotiations for this Global Plastics Treaty have been ongoing since late 2022 and, and involve debate over the scope, ambition, and mechanisms of the agreement, as well as questions about how it will be implemented in practice. The process itself is challenging and complex, especially negotiating in a changing geopolitical context. The Global Plastics Policy Centre contributes evidence and analysis to inform both the content of the Treaty, and the process of negotiations, alongside work focused on how effective policy approaches can be designed and implemented at national and global levels.
What is the Global Plastics Policy Centre?
The Global Plastics Policy Centre is the first of its kind. It’s designed to give governments and industry groups the evidence needed to make better decisions on plastic policies. We are one of the core research centres of the University’s Revolution Plastics Institute.
Focused on acting as a neutral, independent knowledge broker to inform more effective plastics policies and evidence-based decision making, we provide a central point for information on policy effectiveness and design, and barriers to plastics policy success.
In 2022, we launched an accessible online database to showcase the global landscape of plastics policy and how well policies have been performing in practice based on analyses conducted through the Centre’s flagship evaluation framework. Our website also acts as a publication platform for all the research outputs produced by the team.
News from the Centre
Three reasons plastic pollution treaty talks ended in disagreement and deadlock (but not collapse)
Professor Steve Fletcher and Dr Antaya March write for the Conversation
The UK is falling behind in tackling microplastic pollution – here are three ways the government can catch up
Dr Antaya March and Stephanie Northen from the Global Plastics Policy Centre write for the Conversation.
University of Portsmouth hosts event to advance national reuse systems
Reuse event in Portsmouth will develop a blueprint for reuse policy for any country looking to deliver reuse systems at scale
What we do
-
Supporting the Global Plastics Treaty
The Centre is actively supporting the UNEP negotiation process for an international environmental agreement to end plastic pollution. Our on-the-ground work at INCs and the publication of highly relevant journal articles, reports, and policy briefs also support national delegates and observers participating in the process. On our Treaty Page you can keep track of our treaty-based research, the progress of the negotiations, and updates from each INC meeting.
-
Supporting the UK Government
The Centre provides analytical and advisory support to the UK Government on plastics policy and related environmental regulation. This includes supporting the UK delegation in the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations through technical advice and briefings, contributing evidence to parliamentary discussions, and working with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Microplastics to inform understanding of emerging risks and policy responses. In November 2025 we hosted a parliamentary reception bringing together parliamentarians, civil servants, researchers and civil society to discuss the links between the treaty negotiations and UK policy priorities. The Centre has also undertaken commissioned work for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on plastics circularity, recycling systems, landfill and biodegradable plastics, as well as wider questions around how reduction, reuse and redesign can be supported through policy instead of prioritising recycling.
-
Outputs from the Global Plastics Policy Centre
Focusing on evidence generated from our research, as well as select “hot topics” from the Treaty negotiations, our reports and policy briefs bring together key evidence in a format accessible to policymakers, industry and NGOs to support evidence-based decision-making. Our long-form reports tackle the bulkier topics such as effectiveness of international environmental agreement processes; designing effective reuse policies; and circular plastics economies. Our policy briefs so far have covered topics such as Effectiveness of National Action Plans; policy enablers for reuse in the Treaty; critical elements for an effective Global Plastics Treaty; how to define plastics circularity; and policies to reduce plastic pollution in SIDS.
-
Plastic Policy Effectiveness Database
We’ve developed a searchable plastic policy effectiveness database where we host independently evaluated plastics policies and initiatives from around the world, including bans on single use plastics, incentives such as subsidies/tax rebates, regulations on recycling and waste management. Each policy has been scored against a suite of criteria to determine its effectiveness and to identify barriers to progress. In light of this evidence, we offer recommendations to enhance future policy making.
-
Working with arts based methods to amplify stakeholder voices and inform policy
We're working with stakeholders to use their lived experiences to inform the development of the Global Plastics Treaty and national level policy. From legislative theatre how the Treaty can ensure informal waste pickers’ needs are met to a game show around reuse for the delegates at INC, the team has delivered multiple events using arts-based methods in influential spaces.
Researchers
- Dr Antaya March - Director
- Prof Steve Fletcher - Co-Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute
- Prof Cressida Bowyer - Co-Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute
- Laura Nieminen - Centre Manager
- Dr Tegan Evans - Research Fellow
- Dr Aswathi Asok - Research Associate
- Matthew Bentham - Research Associate
- Georgios Georgiou - Research Associate
- Wanjiku Chege - Postgraduate researcher
- Samuel Winton - Postgraduate researcher
- Abhay Bhagwat - Postgraduate researcher
Funding
The Global Plastics Policy Centre receives funding from the Flotilla Foundation, the UN Environment Programme, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra, UK Government), the World Bank, and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Contact us
For further information about the work of the Centre, please contact globalplastics@port.ac.uk.
Interested journalists can contact the University's Media and Communications team for support and advice on all media engagement.