Policy Options to Eliminate Additional Marine Plastic Litter by 2050 under the G20 Osaka Blue Ocean Vision: An International Resource Panel Think Piece

The Osaka Blue Ocean Vision, agreed under the Japanese G20 presidency in 2019, voluntarily commits G20 countries to "reduce additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by 2050 through a comprehensive life-cycle approach", thereby ensuring by 2050, the net volume of plastic entering the ocean is zero. This UN Environment Programme International Resource Panel 'think piece' was commissioned by the Government of Japan, on behalf of the G20, to qualitatively consider possible policy options to achieve this goal. The International Resource Panel is an independent Panel hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) created in 2007 to contribute to a better understanding of sustainable development from a natural resource perspective. In this study, the International Resource Panel worked in partnership with the Government of Japan, SYSTEMIQ, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Modelling undertaken by the Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ (2020) in "Breaking the Plastic Wave" shows that, through an ambitious combination of interventions using known technology and approaches (called the System Change Scenario), marine plastic litter entering the ocean can be reduced by 82 percent compared to business as usual by 2040. Through an iterative process including representatives from the plastics industry, researchers, civil society, governments and intergovernmental bodies, policy options to achieve the system change scenario were identified. These were assessed to consider the possible contribution towards delivering the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision.