National rules are reshaping Asia’s plastic footprint

The failure to conclude the UN Plastic Treaty has not derailed new efforts in Asia to manage plastic pollution. India and Korea have enacted recycled content mandates, Japan has introduced procurement incentives, while Australia, China and India have designed certification and traceability regimes. Because compliance is not divisible, a few large national markets are reshaping supply chains across the region and laying the foundations of a regional circular economy. This suggests an alternative path to global collective action, where recycled-content mandates, certification schemes and trade rules work in concert to overcome regional institutional barriers and drive broader international progress.

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