This GPAP study presents a suite of policy options for South Africa to leverage its trade policy for a circular economy of plastics. The country is home to the largest plastic industry in Sub-Saharan Africa, representing 2.3% of its GDP, while also being one of the most integrated economies in the region. In the last decade, there has been concerted national action at the legislative, private sector and civil society levels to contain plastic pollution and transition to circularity. These efforts, combined with the amplitude of South Africa’s plastic sector and economic weight render trade policy as a potent tool in implementing large scale solutions nationally and regionally. Better management of plastic waste at the border, harmonized standards for recyclable and reusable plastics, services liberalization and mainstreaming of circularity clauses in trade agreements like the AfCFTA are some of the options examined in the study.