As the world marks World Environment Day 2025 under the theme ‘Ending Plastic Pollution’, we are reminded that plastic has become more than just an inconvenience; it is today one of the most prominent pollutants on the planet earth. The plastic pollution crisis is indeed an immediate threat to ecosystems, human health, and the future of our planet.
Today, plastic pervades our oceans, rivers, soil, the air we breathe, and even our bodies. From the coral reefs of Lakshadweep to the rivers of Maharashtra, from the mountains of Himachal Pradesh to the cities of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, the evidence is clear and alarming: plastic pollution is pervasive and intensifying.
In Lakshadweep, over 59% of coral colonies in affected areas show disease or tissue loss due to marine litter which mostly is plastic. Meanwhile, microplastics have silently infiltrated our air, food, and the human body, with studies detecting them in lungs, placenta, and blood. These statistics are a wake-up call for businesses, governments, and civil society.
While there are waste management companies working at the intersection of policy, logistics, and environmental innovation, the truth is that it is time to go beyond symbolic gestures. Efforts such as standalone awareness campaigns, student or society-led clean-ups in cities are commendable, but it is vital elements like accountability, infrastructure investment, and change in behaviour that would bring about meaningful change and deliver necessary results. A rally or a plastic ban must not end with the photo-op; it must translate into measurable reductions in plastic use and litter leakage into natural ecosystems.
We must support the government’s growing focus on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), policy reforms, and national legislations like the Environment Protection Act and the E-Waste Management Rules. But enforcement must be consistent and equitable, and dimensions closely associated with, although not strictly part of regulations, must also be emphasized. For example, in Himachal Pradesh, the move to ban PET bottles below 500 ml in public spaces and replace them with sustainable alternatives is a progressive and welcome step, but for it to succeed and result in lasting change, it must be supported by robust supply chains, education, behaviour modification at individual and household levels, and effective enforcement.
It would be unfair to not acknowledge the wide range of initiatives that are being implemented across sectors, such as: the development of closed-loop systems for plastic waste, where plastic packaging is collected, processed, and recycled at scale through well-organised reverse logistics networks; the investment in biodegradable alternatives, some of which are emerging from groundbreaking innovations like low-cost bioplastics made from cow dung and bacteria, demonstrating India’s potential for nature-aligned, scalable solutions; in urban centres like Gurugram and Lucknow, efforts are being made to support municipal planning, vendor education, and community-level waste collection systems to ensure that policy intent is matched by execution at grassroots; educational institutions are making efforts to usher in cultural change and instill among students a sense of responsibility, embedding waste literacy into schools and universities.
Having mentioned above the need for investments in infrastructure, effective enforcement of regulations, advancements in innovation and technology, and efforts currently being undertaken, it must be admitted that the decisive factor in the battle against plastic pollution is cultural and behavioural.
As consumers, we must ask: Are we enabling greenwashing by buying supposedly “eco-friendly” products without questioning their life cycle? Are we consuming responsibly? Are we really buying what we actually need? Can we generate less waste than we actually are? How can we do so? Are we mindfully segregating waste at home? Are corporations ensuring that their sustainability claims are backed by verified outcomes? These questions, when asked and answered sincerely, would result in greater and truer accountability, and lead to responsible action.
India, with its scale, diversity, and talent, has the opportunity and the capability to lead, not by copying Western models, but by crafting decentralised, innovative, and cost-efficient solutions rooted in our ecology and ethos. Together, we can end plastic pollution through policy, awareness, action, and accountability.
