Qualitative policy review identifies gaps in Malaysia’s plastics frameworks

A qualitative document analysis of three Malaysian plastics policy frameworks found that their shared goals of reducing unsustainable plastic consumption and advancing circularity are not yet backed by fully coherent and mutually reinforcing measures. The study examined Malaysia’s Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastics, covering 2018–2030; the National Marine Litter Policy and Action Plan, covering 2021–2030; and the Malaysia Plastics Sustainability Roadmap, also covering 2021–2030. It assessed policy coherence across six themes: plastic-use fees and taxation, single-use plastic bans, alternative materials, recycling, extended producer responsibility and plastic waste segregation.

Malaysia’s policy challenge is compounded by its position as both a major plastics producer and a primary destination for imported plastic waste, alongside high levels of domestic plastic mismanagement. The review notes that rapid growth in plastic consumption can outpace regulatory and waste-management capacities in countries affected by plastic pollution. The analysis did not measure pollution outcomes or compare the policies’ effectiveness directly. Instead, it examined whether the three documents contain compatible definitions, coordinated instruments and complementary interventions across the selected thematic areas.

Two particularly clear gaps emerged from the document analysis. First, the policies contain definitional ambiguities, especially concerning what qualifies as a single-use plastic. Second, none includes explicit long-term caps on conventional plastic production, limiting the policies’ stated ambition for transformative plastics sustainability. The study also warns that emphasizing alternatives to conventional plastics, including biodegradable and compostable materials, may risk reinforcing single-use consumption. Its assessment therefore questions whether substituting materials alone advances circularity, rather than treating such substitution as evidence of progress.

The authors identify stronger policy coherence, strategic sequencing of interventions and improved integration with sectoral planning as opportunities for strengthening the policy framework. They specifically point to extended producer responsibility, plastic waste segregation and the elimination of single-use plastics as domains requiring coordinated action. Because the research is a qualitative document analysis, it cannot establish how effectively Malaysia has implemented these policies, whether the frameworks have reduced plastic pollution or what results the proposed improvements would produce. Its findings instead offer a policy-level assessment of the relationships among three national frameworks and identify where their objectives, definitions and planned interventions remain incompletely aligned.

Subject of Research: Policy coherence across Malaysia’s national plastics circularity frameworks

Article Title: Policy synergies and opportunities for advancing plastics circularity and sustainability in Malaysia

Article References: Sheriff, I. (2026). Policy synergies and opportunities for advancing plastics circularity and sustainability in Malaysia. Discover Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-04651-2

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s43621-026-04651-2

Keywords: Malaysia, plastics policy, policy coherence, circular economy, single-use plastics, extended producer responsibility, waste segregation, bioplastics, recycling, marine litter, Policy, synergies