Overview

• Observers worldwide marked International Plastic Bag Free Day on July 3 with events aimed at reducing single-use plastic consumption
• NGOs, schools and municipal bodies staged local workshops and cleanup drives to educate communities about the environmental impact of plastic bags
• Bhubaneswar residents led by Youth for Seva and university groups distributed cloth and jute bags, collected plastic waste and conducted awareness sessions in schools and at tourist sites
• Since its 2008 launch by Rezero under the Bag Free World initiative, the campaign has inspired policy actions including the EU’s 2015 single-use bag directive and Bangladesh’s 2022 plastic bag ban
• UN Environment data highlights that 5 trillion plastic bags are produced annually, killing about 100,000 marine animals each year and persisting in the environment for up to 1,000 years