The Osaka Blue Ocean Vision, agreed under the Japanese G20 presidency in 2019, voluntarily commits G20 countries to “reduce additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by 2050 through a comprehensive life-cycle approach”, thereby ensuring that by 2050, the net volume of plastic entering the ocean is zero. This UN Environment Programme International Resource Panel ‘think piece’ was commissioned by the Government of Japan, on behalf of the G20, to qualitatively consider possible policy options to achieve this goal. The International Resource Panel is an independent scientific Panel hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) created in 2007 to contribute to a better understanding of sustainable development from a natural resource perspective. In this study, the International Resource Panel worked in partnership with the Government of Japan, SYSTEMIQ and The Pew Charitable Trusts.