Plastic – not so fantastic
Since the 1950s,
9.2 billion tonnes
of plastic have been produced, of which 7 billion tonnes have become waste, filling up landfills and polluting lakes, rivers, the soil and the ocean/ Plastic’s durability means it can take thousands or even tens of thousands of years to degrade.
We now produce and consume
430 million tonnes
of plastic each year, two thirds of which are short-lived products which soon become waste.
Without urgent action that figure will rise
three-fold by 2060,
with devastating impacts for ecosystems and human health.
It is therefore time to eliminate unnecessary plastic, redesign products so they can be reused, repurposed, repaired and recycled, switch to non-plastic substitutes and strengthen systems for sound waste management.
The impact of plastic pollution
On climate
The production of plastic is among the most energy-intensive manufacturing processes in the world. In 2019, plastic generated 1.8 billion metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, 3.4 per cent of the global total. Ninety per cent of the emissions come from plastic production and the conversion of fossil fuels.
On ecosystems
Plastic pollution is everywhere, from the bottom of the Ocean to the snows of the Arctic. An estimated 19 to 23 million tonnes of plastic leak into aquatic ecosystems annually, while microplastics accumulate in the soil from sewage, landfills and due to their use in agricultural products such as mulch and fertiliser.
On wildlife
Plastic pollution has a devasting effect on a huge array of wildlife. Marine litter alone harms more than 800 species while more than 90 per cent of all birds and fish are believed to have plastic particles in their stomachs, which can cause starvation.
On the economy
Dealing with plastic pollution costs money. But the damage plastic pollution does to our ecosystems and human health costs even more, between US$300 billion and US$600 billion a year. Recent research reveals that the cost of inaction on plastic pollution is higher than the cost of action.
On health
Toxic chemical additives used in plastics and microplastics can enter the body through inhalation and absorption via the skin and accumulate in organs. Scientists have established links between links between exposure from chemical additives that leech from plastics with obesity, diabetes, infertility, poor brain health and even cancer.
Packaging
The packaging sector is the largest generator of single-use plastics in the world, with around 36 per cent of all plastic produced used for packaging. 85 per cent of this ends up in landfills or as hazardous waste.
Consumer products
Plastic is found in everything from toothbrushes to medical devices and children’s toys. The scale of the damage this causes is huge, with the plastic used in consumer goods resulting in US$75 billion in environmental damage every year.
Building and construction
Plastic is used extensively in the construction industry, from plastic pipes and flooring to paint. The industry generates around 100 billion tonnes of waste every year, 35 per cent of which is sent to landfill.
Agriculture
Around 12.5 million tonnes of plastic products are used in plant and animal production worldwide every year. These include biosolid fertiliser, mulch film and even plastic-coated film, which can leach into the soil damaging soil health and negatively affecting crop yields.
Fisheries
Around 20 per cent of all plastic in the ocean comes from fishing, shipping and recreation, with more than 45 million kg of plastic entering the ocean from industrial fishing gear alone. This can trap and suffocate marine life and pollute the ocean with microplastics.
Energy
Energy companies are some of the largest plastic polluters in the world, with single-use plastic being made almost exclusively from fossil fuels.
Textiles and fashion
About 60 per cent of the materials made into clothing is plastic, and every second one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or incinerated. Every time synthetic materials such as polyester are washed, they shed tiny plastic fibres called microfibres, a form of microplastics. Laundry alone causes around half a million tonnes of plastic microfibres to be released into the ocean every year—the equivalent of almost three billion polyester shirts.
Travel and tourism
Eighty per cent of tourists visit coastal areas every year, adding to the 8 million tonnes of plastic that enters the ocean annually. Many hotels are filled with single-use plastics such as shampoo bottles, toothbrushes and combs, while cruise ships dump large amounts of microplastic-laden wastewater into the sea.
Transportation
Thirty percent of components in cars are made of plastic. Most of that plastic is made of low-cost virgin polymers and ends up in landfills. Plastic is also used extensively in boats, planes and trains.
Understand plastic pollution
Life-cycle approach
This refers to all the potential impacts associated with the production and consumption of plastics, including raw material extraction and processing, design and manufacturing, packaging, distribution, use and reuse, maintenance and end of life management, including segregation, collection, sorting, recycling, and disposal.
Single-use plastics
Single-use plastics include polyethylene shopping bags and polystyrene food containers as well as the PET (polyethylene terephthalate, a form of polyester) drinks bottle. Today around 500 billion PET drinks bottles are sold every year, the majority of which end up in the ocean.
Microplastics
Microplastics are tiny shards of plastic that come from a variety of sources, including tyres, health and beauty products, synthetic fabrics, artificial turf, lost or discarded fishing fear and leakage from industrial manufacturing and agricultural processes.
Writing a new story to end plastic pollution
The world is working on a global treaty to end plastic pollution.
In 2022, UN Member States agreed on a resolution to create a legally binding agreement by 2024 to end plastic pollution. Critically, this includes measures along the entire life cycle of plastics, from product design to production and waste management.
It will take five sessions to negotiate the global agreement, with the fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meeting taking place in Ottawa in April 2024, and the final meeting to be held in Busan, Republic of Korea in November 2024. Countries are under a tight schedule to forge a treaty and make leap for environmental action.
What you can do to help
Make your voice heard
Make your voice heard
If you see a company using unnecessary plastic (such as single-use plastic covering fruit at a grocery store), call them out on social media or contact them directly. Let your money do the talking. If you have a retirement fund, you could be inadvertently investing in unsustainable industries. Ask your fund manager to move it to a more responsible fund.
Read more about how to Beat Plastic Pollution.
Change your behaviour
Change your behaviour
Choose to reuse instead of buying new products and always opt for reusable products. Refuse single-use plastic items when possible; don’t ask for plastic bags; repair and separate your waste for recycling. Find out more.
Motivate your government
Motivate your government
Governments need to drive change through legislation, such as circular economy policies, extended producer responsibility schemes, which ensure plastic producers are incentivized to reduce single-use plastic products. Ask your governments to transition to a economy in which we: eliminate the plastics we don’t need; innovate to ensure the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable or compostable; and circulate all the plastic we do use to keep it in the economy and out of the environment.
Read about the Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter.
Demand better from brands
Demand better from brands
Encourage local businesses to reduce the amount of plastic they use; visit restaurants and cafes that allow you to bring your own containers; support businesses that are trying to minimise their use of single-use plastic products.
Be active in your community
Be active in your community
Talk to your local authorities: ask them for more robust, effective recycling and waste management systems. Inadequate municipal solid waste management is one of the largest contributors to plastic pollution on land and water.
Read more about how to Beat Plastic Pollution.
Volunteer
Volunteer
Help out in your community: take part in litter clean-ups. If there are none in your area, why not start one? Resell or donate your used clothes, so they don’t end up in a landfill; join forces with your neighbours to take reusable plastics to recycling centres, or even better, reuse them. Read more about how to Beat Plastic Pollution.
Know your government’s position
Know your government’s position
Visit the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC) website and learn where your national government stands. Read more about the INC process.
Support innovators
Support innovators
Support innovation whenever you can; if you come across a start-up tackling plastic pollution, tell your friends and promote the initiative on social media. UNEP’s environmental award Champions of the Earth features a host of innovative enterprises making a real difference. A 2023 winner, Algramo provides refill stations for everyday essentials such as shampoo, laundry detergent and washing up liquid.
Discover the 2023 Champions of the Earth..
Build your understanding
Build your understanding
There’s a whole range of resources about the effects of plastic pollution. Start by reading UNEP’s Practical Guide to Beating Plastic Pollution to gain more insight into how you can help reduce the impact of plastic pollution. The Turning off the Tap report offers a comprehensive guide to ending plastic pollution and creating a circular economy.
Resources
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Beat Pollution aims to build and nurture a larger narrative on a pollution-free planet that weaves interrelated aspects of climate and nature and connects different forms of pollution to the larger issue of pollution and waste. The goal is to optimize human health and environmental outcomes through enhanced capacity and leadership in the sound management of chemicals and waste and increasing circular processes.
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