Support for EPA’s Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution is a global crisis as production and consumption of plastics continue to grow exponentially and harm human health and the environment. As millions of tons of plastics leak into marine and terrestrial ecosystems each year, the need to reduce, reuse, collect, and capture plastic waste has increased. To address the ubiquitous and growing challenge of plastic pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency needed to develop a national strategy, with stakeholder input, to support circular approaches for plastic production and management.

ERG has supported EPA’s plastics strategy—part of EPA’s series of material- or product-specific strategies in building a circular economy for all—on multiple fronts. In fall 2022, ERG supported stakeholder listening sessions that shaped the draft strategy’s objectives and corresponding proposed actions that focus on reducing, reusing, collecting, and capturing plastic waste. For Earth Week 2023, ERG helped EPA finalize the agency’s “Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution” as part of a national campaign that included an April 21 White House news release announcing the strategy. Following the document’s release, ERG organized and facilitated webinars to solicit public feedback. We also organized and analyzed public comments submitted in response to eight key questions, which helped EPA further refine the strategy. In 2024, ERG has been supporting EPA in publishing the final strategy based on public comments and stakeholder input to keep plastic materials and products in the supply chain through reuse, repurposing, and recycling for as long possible.