Explore the British Columbia Trip Report 2025, a comprehensive policy brief from the CIRCLE network detailing Canada’s cutting-edge circular economy practices. The report highlights British Columbia's advanced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems, Canada’s Deposit Return System (DRS) innovations, and Reuse & Refill business models. Through expert roundtables, site visits, and case studies involving regulators, NGOs, brand owners, and waste management leaders, it provides actionable insights to inform U.S. circular economy policy development.

2025 British Columbia Report

Discover key insights from the U.S. Circular Policy Leadership Network’s (CIRCLE) 2025 technical expedition in Montréal, Québec. This report highlights global best practices in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Deposit Return Systems (DRS), and Reuse & Refill models through site visits, expert panels, and cross-sector collaboration. Learn how policymakers, industry leaders, and NGOs are shaping the future of circular economy policies in North America.

2025 Montreal Report

In June 2024, OPLN launched the INC-5 Sprint to develop science-backed safety and sustainability criteria across four key pillars: Safety, Environment, Sociocultural, and Economic. These criteria aim to guide the effective evaluation, monitoring and transparency frameworks of plastic alternatives and non-plastic substitutes. Through multi-stakeholder advisory and consultations, OPLN developed the INC-5 Negotiators’ Brief to Harmonized Safety and Sustainability Criteria (HSC). This document calls for INC-5 negotiators to mandate the development of HSC within the UN Global Plastics Treaty to end plastic pollution. HSC are a set of comprehensive, science-based principles for assessing the safety and sustainability of plastic alternatives and non-plastic substitutes, including associated chemicals of concern, and their supportive systems, services, and technologies, collectively referred to as ‘products and systems’. The HSC were presented at INC-5 side events in Busan, South Korea and have informed and aligned with the draft treaty text moving into INC 5.2.

INC-5 Negotiators' Brief: Harmonized Safety & Sustainability Criteria

This 2024 Impact Report and 2025 Membership Preview published in early 2025 provides insight into OPLN's reach and dedicated program tracks. 

2024 Impact Report & 2025 Member Preview 

2023 Pacific Northwest Report

2024 Vancouver & Portland

2024 Portland, Maine, & Montréal, Québec Report

2023 Germany & Lithuania Report

2024 Annual Report

In May 2024, the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network (OPLN) hosted a four-day, multi-stakeholder, immersive tour of two of North America‘s best-performing systems for packaging recovery, powered by extended producer responsibility (EPR), deposit return system (DRS), reuse and refill. This four-day expedition, from May 14th to 17th, brought together 31 participants representing major organizations across the packaging value chain (from material producers, packaging converters, top brands, major retailers, waste management, recyclers, and leading environmental organizations).

OPLN‘s technical expeditions foster collaboration, powered by experiential learning, to advance policy harmonization on EPR & DRS across the US among Fortune 500 sustainability leaders, policymakers, leading NGOs, and government officials.

Pacific Northwest Technical Expedition: US Circular Policy Leadership Network (May 2024)

Between September 10 - 13, 2024, the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network (OPLN) hosted a remarkable technical exhibition exploring the deposit return systems, extended producer responsibility policies and practices, and re-use and refill systems in Portland, Maine and Montréal, Québec. We brought together 40 participants - from policymakers to major organizations across the beverage container and packaging material value chains - to foster collaboration, experiential learning, and policy development on circular policies.

OPLN is grateful to its partners and participants for their contributions to this valuable, irreplaceable forum for learning and dialogue. Relive the highlights and insights from this impactful expedition, advancing our journey towards a sustainable future!

Atlantic Northeast Technical Expedition: US Circular Policy Leadership Network (September 2024)

This comprehensive programme report captures the insightful discussions from the recent UK National Treaty Dialogues on Plastic Pollution. From 3-16 September 2024, stakeholders from across the UK plastics value chain – including NGOs, academia, upstream, downstream and midstream sectors - convened virtually for the fifth session of the UK Plastic Treaty Dialogues. Organised by OPLN in partnership with the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the dialogues were composed of both sectoral and plenary discussions, serving as a platform to share insights and views on the treaty.

These dialogues were held with two primary objectives in mind: to reflect on the intergovernmental negotiation process and to inform the UK's contributions at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution (INC-5) in Busan, South Korea. INC-5 is scheduled to be the final session to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution and will take place between 25 November – 1 December 2024.

This report records the views expressed by stakeholders during the sessions as valuable input to support the development of UK positions but should not be taken as UK Government policy.

INC-5: United Kingdom National Treaty Dialogues On Plastic Pollution - Report 2024

From February 12th to 21st 2024, stakeholders from the UK plastics system convened virtually for the third session of the UK Plastic Treaty Dialogues, hosted by OPLN in partnership with the UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The aims of the session were to (1) reflect on the intergovernmental negotiation process, and (2) help to inform the UK's contributions at the third meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution in Ottawa, Canada during INC-4 Member States negotiations.

This report records the views expressed by stakeholders during the sessions and recommendations as valuable input to support the development of UK positions but should not be taken as UK Government policy.

INC-4: United Kingdom National Treaty Dialogues On Plastic Pollution - Report 2024

We are delighted to announce the release of the Reuse & Refill Playbook for Retailers, a groundbreaking initiative developed through collaborative efforts within the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Working Group of the Reuse and Refill Action Forum, facilitated by OPLN in partnership with Upstream and the Meridian Institute. This playbook marks a significant stride towards advancing sustainable practices within the retail industry by offering comprehensive guidance on priority product categories, including snacks, beverages, pet food, personal care, and household cleaners, that are well positioned to lead the transition towards reuse and refill solutions in major retailers. It addresses key thematic areas such as packaging, logistics, consumer participation, and cross-value chain collaboration modalities. With the participation of over 60 organizations, encompassing top CPG brands, major retailers, packaging producers, government representatives, and more, our collective aim was clear: to pave the way for a future where reuse and refill systems become the norm across all product categories.

Reuse & Refill Playbook for Retailers

This comprehensive program report, officially unveiled at the Global Treaty Dialogues: INC-3 Digest on December 13th, 2023, garnered widespread attention with the presence of hundreds of key stakeholders. It captures the insightful discussions and recommendations from the recent UK Plastic Treaty Dialogues. Conducted from October 20th to November 1st, 2023, these virtual gatherings brought together stakeholders from various sectors across the UK, united by a shared concern for plastic pollution. The sessions were compromised of both sectoral and plenary discussions, serving as a pivotal platform for diverse voices to come together.

INC-3: United Kingdom National Treaty Dialogues On Plastic Pollution Report 2023

On 11 April 2023, stakeholders from the UK plastics system convened virtually for the second session of the UK Plastic Treaty Dialogues, hosted by OPLN in partnership with the UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). 


United Kingdom National Treaty Dialogues On Plastic Pollution Multi-stakeholder Convening Report 2023

On 1st November 2022, the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network (OPLN) and the UK government convened the UK Treaty Dialogues—an inclusive activist-to-industry multi stakeholder program addressing the plastics pollution crisis—in preparation for the UK’s involvement in negotiating a Global Plastic Pollution Treaty at the first Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-1) which took place from 26th November till 2nd December 2022 in Punta Del Este, Uruguay.

United Kingdom National Treaty Dialogues On Plastic Pollution Report

At the North Atlantic Gyre, Sargasso Sea, on May 17 - 21, 2019 took a place The Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit, which was a first of its kind experience bringing together leaders across many industries and fields connected to the global epidemic of plastics pouring into our oceans so they might come face to face with the issue and each other, and spark new ideas, connections and collaborations that may provide solutions.


Mission Output Report 2019 Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit 

In March 2021, working together with WWF and Greenpeace, OPLN launched the Global Treaty Dialogues for Plastics (GTD) a capacity building program bringing together disparate multi-stakeholder voices to promote engagement in the UN Plastics Treaty. This is the report from Chile 2022.

Chile Treaty Dialogues - Spanish Version -Report 2022

Chile Treaty Dialogues - Report 2022

On January 27, 2022, the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network convened 165+ stakeholders, drawn from a wide range of perspectives on the plastics crisis, for the first session of the Global Plastics Treaty: US Country Dialogues. Participants heard from speakers about the US’ role in driving a Treaty forward and opportunities for ambitious implementation.

United States Country Dialogues | Session 1: January 27, 2022

In March 2022, 175 countries endorsed a resolution to begin negotiations on a global agreement to address plastic waste by 2024. This is a historic decision that will affect every nation and all stakeholders of the plastics crisis with a timeline for negotiations that required urgent and necessary actions

In response to the need for prompt action, the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs (CMMAI), National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP), and Ocean Plastic Leadership Network (OPLN) held two country dialogues in Indonesia to raise and convene the stakeholders’ awareness of global plastic treaty in February and April 2022.

Global Treaty On Plastic Pollution: Indonesia Country Dialogue - March 2022

Pakistan was selected by Oceans Plastics Leadership Network (OPLN) as one of the first countries to pioneer country dialogue sessions on the Global Plastics Treaty because of the potential for Pakistan to be a national, regional, and global leader on the issue. The goal of the project is to bring together activist to industry networks of stakeholders, to inform a global plastics treaty and its country level implementation.

This report is a prototype of continuous 2.5 year feedback loop between individual nations, cross-sector engagement and the treaty process. 

Pakistan Treaty Dialogues - 2022 Report

In March 2021 - one year before UNEA 5.2 - we came together with 230 Attendees from 140 Organizations across 34 countries to:

-Explore the most promising possibilities of a Global Treaty for Plastics

-Learn from leading experts on the many facets the plastic pollution crisis

-Connected with eachother, hearing new perspectives and insights to share info across sectors

-Hear from world leaders tackling plastic pollution

Global Plastics Treaty Dialogues I: March 2021

site visits & discussions

Canadian policy nuances & stakeholder perspectives

legislator questions & learning themes

Recap

Dive into the most recent experiential summit in British Columbia, where 30+ multi-stakeholder leaders experienced circular policy first-hand.

Immersive Learning

Reports & Guides