Fishing bans were imposed, livelihoods were devastated, and environmentalists called it “Sri Lanka’s worst marine disaster.”“The plastic may no longer be visible, but the impact will last for decades,” warned Hemantha Withanage, director of Sri Lanka’s Centre for Environmental Justice. The court ruling — and a refusalIn July 2025, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ordered X-Press Feeders to pay an initial $1 billion in damages, including $250 million due this week. Sri Lanka’s court has said non-compliance could trigger criminal proceedings — and while it’s unclear how a foreign company can be forced to pay, there are real human consequences. X-Press Feeders offered to pay a fine to release him — but Sri Lankan authorities declined. Yoskovitz believes the implications stretch far beyond Sri Lanka’s shores.