Global plastic pollution, sustainable development, and plastic justice

• Plastic pollution (including macro, micro, and nanoplastic) is deleterious to sustainable development and the achievement of the SDGs, though there are few observed indicators that can help us monitor progress. • There are shifting contours in the global plastic waste trade industry that are changing the main actors and increasing the need for regulatory oversight; North-South dynamics are instrumental but local policy development is important. • A global and holistic approach to the entire lifecycle of plastics is needed in support of the sustainable development agenda; however, many research gaps need filling. • Plastic pollution is a human rights and environmental justice issue; “plastic justice” can serve as a normative framework to help us understand the issue. This review article examines the current state of plastic waste and pollution, in particular in the form of marine litter, as it affects the goal of sustainable development and is affected by global North-South dynamics. The rise in plastic waste has had a deleterious effect on local populations and ecosystems, and remains a problem with numerous governance challenges, posing constraints to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This crisis is analyzed under the lens of global North-South dynamics, as the consequences for different nations differ in regard to their capacity to cope with waste, and other inequality issues. China’s decision to stop serving as the world’s central recycling location has pushed plastic waste exports into other Asian countries, and COVID-19 responses have utilized large quantities of plastic products. However, localized initiatives that involve non-governmental actors are making some headway in countries such as Brazil. This review article introduces the problem, examines extant literature linking plastic pollution with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, offers a brief Brazilian case study of a coordinated response, outlines key research gaps and needs, and articulates the concept of plastic justice as a progressive normative design and framework for further analysis.