Plastic dumpsite

Plastic pollution

UNEP supports governments, businesses, financial institutions, and other stakeholders in driving a just transition to a circular economy for plastics, helping to reduce plastic pollution and its impacts.

Plastic has many valuable uses in our daily lives, but our current production and consumption practices and levels pose threats to our health and environment.

Plastic pollution poses a global challenge, with plastic waste projected to nearly triple by 2060 under a business-as-usual scenario.

UNEP works with stakeholders across the plastics value chain to strengthen regulations, promote innovative solutions, mobilise financing, encourage behavior change, and build capacity—driving a system-wide shift toward a circular plastics economy.

As host of the Secretariat for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee and long-term leading organisation fighting against plastic pollution, UNEP is fully committed to addressing global plastic pollution.

Plastic pollution highlights
Chemicals & pollution action
UN Day
Chemicals & pollution action
Speech
a woman in a dumpsite
Our planet is choking on plastic pollution
Chemicals & pollution action
Interactive
Partnerships, networks, centres & programmes collaborating with UNEP

The work of UNEP on plastic pollution is carried out through public-private partnerships, often involving partners, collaborating centres, programmes and networks.

Contact info

For inquiries on Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution, contact unep-incplastic.secretariat@un.org

For inquiries on UNEP's work on plastics , contact unep-plastics-initiative@un.org

Last updated: 27 Mar 2026, 15:00