The Community of Practice (CoP) on Informing National Action on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter was established to serve as a primary coordination mechanism among stakeholders supporting the development and implementation of countries’ action plans on plastic pollution and marine litter. By fostering collaboration, coherence, and alignment across initiatives and approaches, the CoP aims to strengthen support for countries and stakeholders in the formulation, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and review of evidence-based action planning processes, in line with global commitments and national priorities. It also promotes the use of the Global Plastics Hub’s Action Planning tool to harmonize the approaches.
If you wish to join the Community of Practice, please submit an expression of interest to: <a class="p-m" href="mailto:unep-gpml@un.org">unep-gpml@un.org</a>.

Community of Practice on Informing National Action​

Final Report Important Key Performance Indicators for National, Regional and Global Monitoring and Relevant Concepts and Definitions of Terminologies for Harmonization

Harmonization and shared Metadata for plastics

Data Harmonization Workbook

GPML CoP's work on plastic modeling and monitoring methodlogies harmonization

Comparison of Key Plastic Waste Indicator Values of Different Monitoring and Modelling Methodologies

The Community of Practice (CoP) on Plastic Monitoring and Assessment Harmonization addresses harmonization, interoperability and data comparability across lifecycle stages, including possible data and methodology subgroups on plastics in the economy, plastic waste, and plastics in the environment. 
The CoP on Data Harmonization and CoP on Modelling and Monitoring Methodologies Harmonization was merged in 2025 per suggestion of their members, to address harmonization, interoperability and data comparability across lifecycle stages, including possible data and methodology subgroups on plastics in the economy, plastic waste, and plastics in the environment.
<div>If you wish to join the Community of Practice, please submit an expression of interest to: <a class="p-m" href="mailto:unep-gpml@un.org">unep-gpml@un.org</a>.</div>

Community of Practice on Plastic Monitoring and Assessment Harmonization  

The **Plastics Treaty Assist Toolkit** by GIZ provides practical guidance for governments on addressing plastic pollution across the entire plastics lifecycle, from production and product design to consumption, reuse, recycling and final disposal. It emphasises the need for strong national policies, clear targets, monitoring systems, financing and institutional coordination, while promoting measures such as reducing unnecessary and problematic plastics, designing products for reuse and recyclability, strengthening waste-management systems, mobilising finance and ensuring a just transition for workers and communities affected by the shift towards a circular plastics economy. Overall, the toolkit encourages countries to move beyond relying mainly on recycling and instead prioritise **prevention, reduction, reuse and circular product design**, supported by effective regulation and implementation. 


Plastics Treaty Assist Toolkit

Regulatory instruments on innovation

The number of affirmative regulations defined in policy documents,  on development of new or improved processes and products relating to plastics

Floating microplastics, fine sampling method

Amount of floating microplastic particles collected using nets with mesh size 0.3 - 0.35 mm (2012-2022)


Plastic leakage - openly burnt (% of generated plastic)

The proportion of plastic waste openly burnt as a percentage of total plastic generated

Plastic waste - openly burnt

Plastic waste - Import

Value of imported plastic waste in million US dollars by country per year

Plastic waste - value (import)

Final manufactured plastic goods - Export

Value of exported final manufactured plastics goods in million US dollars by country per year

Final manufactured plastic goods - value (export)

Proportion of municipal waste recycled

Proportion of municipal waste recycled annually (2000-2021)

Municipal solid waste generated daily per capita

Municipal solid waste generated daily per capita - country-level

Threat to coral reefs

Coral reef habitat proximity to a river mouth of a river modelled to emit more than 1 tonne of plastic/year into the ocean

Plastic beach litter per 100 m

Plastic-Beach litter items visually counted and calculated per 100 m

Plastic waste - Export

Weight of exported plastic waste in 1000 metric tonnes by country per year

Plastic waste - weight (export)

Plastic waste generation from municipal solid waste (kg/capita/year)

The sum of plastic waste in municipal solid waste per capita per year

Plastic waste generated from municipal solid waste annually per capita

Final manufactured plastics goods - Import

Weight of imported final manufactured plastics goods in 1000 metric tonnes by country per year

Final manufactured plastic goods - weight (import)

Intermediate manufactured plastic goods - Export

Value of exported intermediate manufactured plastic goods in million US dollars by country per year

Intermediate manufactured plastic goods - value (export)

Plastic waste generation from municipal solid waste (tonnes/day)

The sum of plastic waste in municipal solid waste per day

Plastic waste generated from municipal solid waste daily

Intermediate forms of plastic - Import

Weight of imported intermediate forms of plastic in 1000 metric tonnes by country per year

Intermediate forms of plastic - weight (import)

Municipal solid waste generated annually

Value of exported plastic waste in million US dollars by country per year

Plastic waste - value (export)

Regulatory instruments on education and outreach

The number of information instruments on education and outreach on plastics that are defined in policy documents in the country

SPOT: Openly burned plastic emissions [t·y⁻¹]

Total annual plastic emissions openly burnt

Openly burnt plastic emissions annually

Proportion of plastic waste generated 

The proportion of plastic waste generated out of total municipal solid waste generated

Municipal solid waste plastic composition – city-level

Plastic packaging - Export (weight)

Weight of exported plastic packaging in 1000 metric tonnes by country per year

Plastic packaging - weight (export)

Cash for return schemes

The number of cash for return schemes identified in policy documents in the country

Weight of exported final manufactured plastic goods in 1000 metric tonnes by country per year

the global plastics hub

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