The Ministry of Industry and Commerce ministerial order No. (14) for the year 2022 regarding the ban on selling, manufacturing, circulating, and importing single-use plastic bags which are less than 35 microns in thickness has gone into effect on September 18, 2022.​

The Assistant Undersecretary for Local and Foreign Trade, Shaikh Hamad bin Salman Al Khalifa affirmed that the decision aims to support environmental protection initiatives and limit the spread of plastic waste. He highlighted that the ban is in line with the government's plans for securing an environment that supports sustainability and reduces pollution. 

He added that the ban will exclude single-use plastic bags that are more than 35 microns in thickness, single-use plastic bags that are used for medical purposes and bags that are used for exports. The Ministry in cooperation with relevant entities has also ensured the availability of alternatives to the banned single-use plastic bags.

​ Shaikh Hamad stressed on the need to comply with the ban, adding that the Ministry will be conducting inspection visits to ensure compliance.​

The Assistant Undersecretary for Local and Foreign Trade highlighted that market surveys showed that all local factories intend to manufacture multi-use plastic bags that are more than 35 microns in thickness. The survey also showed that 86% of those local factories will continue to manufacture plastic products that are exempt of the new regulation or alternatives to the banned single-use bags.​