A recent roundtable hosted by the Maritime Association for Clean Seas (MACS) explored viable strategies for sustainable plastic procurement in maritime, highlighting the need for common standards, targeted action, and practical tools for industry-wide implementation.

Reducing plastic use across the maritime industry is gaining greater priority as a sustainability goal to mitigate risks related to ocean plastic leakage. But implementation is significantly more complex and requires collaborative action to address this pressing environmental challenge.

The Maritime Association for Clean Seas (MACS) recently convened a roundtable on sustainable plastic procurement that brought together 45 participants from 28 organisations across the global maritime value chain – including procurement teams, sustainability specialists, shipowners, operators, suppliers, ports and industry bodies – to discuss plastic pollution prevention.

Sustainable plastic procurement in shipping refers to the process of selecting, sourcing, and managing plastic-containing products and packaging in ways that reduce environmental impact while maintaining safety, operational performance, and regulatory compliance.

The discussion explored the practical realities of sustainable plastic procurement and highlighted a growing industry consensus around the need for operationally realistic, evidence-based approaches to plastic reduction.

While perspectives differed, participants consistently highlighted three barriers slowing progress towards improving maritime sustainability in this area:

• A lack of common definitions and procurement standards.
• Uncertainty around alternative materials in maritime operations.
• Fragmented demand signals that limit supplier investment in plastic-reduction solutions.

Why sustainable plastic procurement needs common standards

Terms such as ‘recyclable’, ‘biodegradable’, ‘compostable’, and even ‘sustainable plastic’ are often interpreted differently by suppliers, buyers, and operators. In addition, their practical meaning can vary widely according to geography, operating conditions, and available waste management infrastructure.

These inconsistencies make it difficult to compare products, evaluate supplier claims, or establish consistent procurement criteria. Without common definitions, scaling sustainable procurement remains challenging.

Participants agreed that better decision-making starts with greater clarity. A common maritime plastics taxonomy was identified as a critical enabler for implementation, helping organisations classify plastic-containing products, assess sustainability attributes, and create more consistent procurement requirements across the industry.

Product-switching is complex in shipping

Replacing plastic products is rarely straightforward in maritime as using an alternative material does not automatically deliver a better environmental outcome.

Unlike many land-based industries, shipping operates in demanding environments shaped by harsh weather, strict safety requirements, hygiene standards, long asset lifecycles, and globally dispersed supply chains.

Alternative materials can introduce trade-offs related to durability, operational performance, storage requirements, emissions, supplier availability, and end-of-life treatment. Participants stressed that procurement decisions should consider the full operational context rather than focusing solely on material composition.

A key issue with recyclability is that whether a product is actually recycled often depends less on the material itself and more on where and how it is used. Vessel trading routes, port reception facilities, waste-handling procedures, and local recycling infrastructure can all influence end-of-life outcomes.

As a result, participants emphasised the need for practical decision-support tools that evaluate environmental, operational, and commercial factors together to underpin sustainable procurement strategies.

Which plastic products should shipping companies target first?

A major focus of the roundtable was identifying which plastics could realistically be targeted first to make meaningful progress in sustainable plastic procurement.

The discussion highlighted an important principle: not all plastics present the same opportunities for intervention. In other words, some categories are far easier to address than others.

Lower-complexity items such as plastic cutlery, straws, and selected single-use consumables were widely viewed as suitable targets for near-term action. More operationally critical products – including transport packaging, protective materials, technical ropes, and specialised equipment – will require longer timelines, further testing, and closer collaboration with suppliers.

Participants broadly supported a prioritised approach based on operational importance, implementation complexity, supplier availability, and feasibility, rather than blanket bans or universal phase-out commitments.

The consensus was clear: focusing first on high-feasibility opportunities can build momentum while creating pathways for tackling more complex categories over time.

Moving from ambition to action

While support for reducing unnecessary plastic use was strong, participants acknowledged that implementation of sustainable plastic procurement remains challenging.

Supplier engagement and data collection emerged as recurring obstacles. Even organisations with established procurement processes can struggle to obtain reliable information about product composition, packaging specifications, and sustainability attributes. These challenges become particularly significant in maritime supply chains, where procurement orders may include hundreds of products and numerous plastic-containing items.

Participants also identified the vessel-to-port interface as a critical bottleneck. Variations in waste-management practices, port reception facilities, and local infrastructure can significantly affect the success of onboard plastic reduction initiatives.

These realities reinforced a central message from the discussion: sustainable plastic procurement solutions must be practical, operationally realistic, and adaptable to different maritime contexts.

Insights gathered through the roundtable will help shape the work of the MACS Sustainable Plastic Procurement Working Group, including the development of a maritime plastics taxonomy, prioritised reduction and phase-out frameworks, and procurement decision-support tools.

The conversation demonstrated the industry is ready to move beyond broad sustainability commitments and focus on actionable, evidence-based solutions.

Through collaboration between shipowners, operators, suppliers, ports, and industry bodies, shipping has an opportunity to establish a more consistent and practical approach to sustainable plastic procurement – one that delivers measurable progress while remaining operationally viable.