Halting plastic flows into oceans by 2050 may not stop microplastic buildup

Halting new marine plastic inputs by 2050 is the core objective of the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision, which was shared and endorsed alongside the G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter. However, stopping new plastic inputs will not remove existing marine debris, which can gradually fragment into microplastics that are difficult and costly to remove. Source reduction must therefore be accompanied by cleanup of legacy plastic debris.