In every one of my Chinese relatives’ homes when I was growing up in New York, there was a special drawer, cabinet, or sliver of closet dedicated to storing a precious commodity: the plastic bag.

There’s a reason it has consistently topped many “best-of” lists on the internet over the years.

As the MDGs era comes to a conclusion with the end of the year, 2016 ushers in the official launch of the bold and transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by world leaders last ...