The federal Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulation would have introduced a ban on the manufacture, import and sale of certain single-use plastic manufactured items for the purpose of export starting on December 20, 2025. However, on October 20, 2025, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Julie Dabrusin announced via social media that the government would no longer be pursuing implementation of the ban based on its “review of the policy landscape, global trade conditions, and domestic economic challenges.”
The ban was part of Canada’s Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste, which was launched in 2018 and aimed at achieving a circular and low-carbon economy with zero plastic waste by 2030. The ban would have applied to the manufacture of single-use plastic grocery bags, straws, stir sticks, ring carriers, food serviceware, cutlery, and flexible straws attached packaged with beverage containers.
In her post on X, Minister Dabrusin noted that few peer countries were following suit, which meant that international buyers were simply switching away from Canadian suppliers.