María Fernanda Vega

Colombian environmental lawyer leading plastic reduction policies in Latin America

María Fernanda Vega - Championing Plastic-Free Policies

María Fernanda Vega (b. 1985) is the legal architect behind Colombia's landmark 2020 plastic ban, which prohibited single-use plastics nationwide. As director of Ecoacción Social, she has secured over 20 municipal plastic reduction laws across Latin America. Her legal strategies focus on environmental justice for indigenous communities disproportionately affected by plastic pollution.

In 2021, her work inspired Ecuador's National Assembly to pass similar legislation, creating a regional movement. Vega's TEDx talk 'Plastic or Planet' has garnered 2.3 million views, spreading awareness about microplastic contamination in drinking water. She currently advises the UN's Clean Seas campaign and recently published a legal manual for activists aiming to replicate Colombia's model in other countries.