Comparing the Plastic Policies Among Major Consumer Nations: Implications for Global Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution has emerged as a critical global environmental challenge, driven by rising production, consumption, and inadequate waste management. Major plastic-consuming economies play a disproportionate role in global plastic leakage and therefore strongly influence international mitigation efforts. This review comparatively examines plastic policy frameworks in the European Union, the United States, China, India, and Japan to identify policy strengths, limitations, and transferable governance strategies. Due to the heterogeneous nature of the information sources, a narrative review methodology was employed, drawing on peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, institutional reports, and statistical datasets. Policy effectiveness was qualitatively evaluated using cross-comparable indicators, including per capita plastic consumption, waste generation, recycling rates, mismanaged waste, environmental leakage, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) coverage. The analysis reveals substantial divergence in policy approaches: the EU demonstrates a comprehensive lifecycle-based framework with strong recycling performance and low leakage; China exhibits high enforcement capacity and effective upstream controls but faces scale-related challenges; the United States shows limited effectiveness due to fragmented governance and low recycling rates; India has robust regulatory intent but is constrained by high mismanaged waste and infrastructure gaps; and Japan achieves high downstream efficiency but relies heavily on thermal recycling with limited upstream reduction. The review highlights that effective plastic governance requires integrated lifecycle policies, strong enforcement, infrastructure investment, and international policy coordination rather than reliance on isolated downstream measures alone.