Over 200 countries signed a resolution this week that promised to collectively eliminate plastic waste in the oceans.

The agreement, which was posed by the United Nations, declared that each nation would start to monitor their country's packaging methods in favor of more environmentally friendly alternatives.

"There is very strong language in this resolution," Norway's environment minister, Vidar Helgesen, told Reuters. "We now have an agreement to explore a legally binding instrument and other measures and that will be done at the international level over the next 18 months."

The resolution was initiated by Norway at an environmental summit in Nairobi, Kenya. Though the agreement is not legally binding, 39 governments were spurred to pass legislation that aligned with the goals the very same day.

South Africa and Cameroon in particular joined the ranks of nations banning single-use plastic bags.

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