As the world’s largest producer and consumer of plastic products, China’s policy decisions have far- reaching implications for global plastic pollution control efforts. Its policies to reduce plastic pollution have evolved significantly over the past two decades. Since 2016, the policy efforts to address plastic pollution increasingly gained momentum with plastic pollution featuring prominently in several Five Year Plans (FYP) and related strategies, action and implementation plans, directives, notices, regulations or other official documents. From early targeted interventions in the late 1990s to the landmark “National Sword Policy” of 2017 (SCGO 2017a) and the ambitious Plastic Pollution Control Action Plan of 2020 (NDRC and MEE 2021), China has progressively strengthened and expanded its regulatory framework. The latter is discussed in this Country Profile.
