The case was brought forward by a group of major industrial players in plastics, including Dow Chemical, Imperial Oil and Nova Chemicals. They argued that Ottawa failed to demonstrate it had enough scientific evidence to justify the regulations.
The federal government says an upcoming court decision related to its restrictions on single-use plastics will have no "practical effect" because the legal challenge launched by the plastics industry is now "moot."
Drink bottles from the 1980s, plastic straws and even "nurdles" — they all wash up at Bathers Beach, south of Perth, with researchers trying to work out how effective bans on single-use plastics are.
Plastic sachets of goods give some of the poorest people in Asia access to everyday essentials in affordable small portions - but its fuelling a pollution crisis.
