Plastics released into the marine environment harm wildlife and ecosystems, breaking down into toxic microplastics that poison the food chain, affecting over 4,000 marine species. Plastic pollution in the ocean continues to rise due to mismanaged waste and marine activities, with an estimated 24.4 trillion pieces of microplastics in the world's upper oceans. The need to address plastic pollution by reducing production, promoting reuse, and finding alternatives to single-use plastics is crucial, highlighting the social and economic impacts on marine habitats, human livelihoods, and food security. Emphasizing prevention over clean-ups and recycling, a global plastics treaty is being pursued by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, led by the UN Environment Programme, to combat plastic pollution on an international scale.