The real source of hope lies not in waiting for a treaty but in the momentum of action already underway.

The recent resumption of global plastics treaty negotiations in Geneva drew worldwide attention as thousands of environmental leaders came together to tackle one of the planet’s most urgent crises: plastic pollution.

Momentum has long been building toward a legally binding agreement, often compared to the Paris Climate Accords, but the latest session ended without a final text, revealing both the complexity of the issue and the challenge of uniting nearly 180 nations behind a common plan.

International agreements are, by nature, difficult to achieve, especially on issues as widespread and interdisciplinary as plastic pollution. But while leaders debate legal text and seek consensus, much of the world is not standing still. Governments, companies and communities are moving ahead, shaping national plastic action plans, investing in better collection and recycling systems and setting new standards for product design and disclosure.

Experience across more than two dozen countries in the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) shows how transformative national and local leadership can be. Through National Plastic Action Partnerships (NPAPs), platforms that unite key stakeholders to develop and implement solutions, progress is accelerating.

In Ghana, women in Kumasi have received financial literacy training, while waste pickers in Tamale formed the Gbalahi Zoho Informal Waste Actors Association, gaining recognition and safer working conditions. This community-level action is reinforced by national leadership, with Ghana’s president endorsing the NPAP and calling for a regional framework through the East Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In Ecuador, the NPAP is driving action in the Galapagos Islands, where protecting biodiversity depends on innovative approaches to plastics management.