A pivotal time to act on plastic pollution

Plastic pollution is a massive problem that grows larger every day. People around the world are confronting the crisis by demanding and crafting solutions for a more sustainable consumer economy.

We’re rising to this moment, with your support, by providing expertise on plastic pollution. And we’re advocating for policies to stop its flow into the ocean and our communities.

In June 2022, California enacted a first-in-thenation bill that will reduce plastic pollution and hold companies accountable for the waste they produce. The California Plastic Pollution Producer Responsibility Act, authored by Senator Ben Allen, is regarded as the nation’s toughest law regulating plastic waste.

The Aquarium played a major role in crafting this legislation and getting it enacted. We pushed for key provisions, including a mandate to reduce single-use plastic packaging by 25 percent by 2032, and our supporters sent 5,500 letters urging their California legislators to pass the bill. The Aquarium was recognized in top news coverage of the law, which is a model for policies in other states and at the federal level.

In December, the United Nations led talks for a binding international agreement to curb plastic pollution, with Aquarium Chief Conservation and Science Officer Margaret Spring participating as part of the International Science Council. Margaret also joined a commission of experts that’s assessing the human health hazards, and the related equity concerns, around plastic.