Global plastic outlook: Alarming situation – 23 Feb 2022

The Global Plastics Outlook: Economic Drivers, Environmental Impacts and Policy Options offers a unique quantified picture of the full lifecycle of plastics globally, including production, consumption, waste, recycling, disposal, leakage and greenhouse gas emissions

Five key findings summarize the current challenges while four critical levers are put forward to make the plastics lifecycle more circular

The current plastics lifecycle is far from circular.

COVID-19 increased single-use plastic waste, though plastics use fell overall

Mismanaged plastic waste is the main source of macroplastic leakage

Significant stocks of plastics have already accumulated in aquatic environments, with 109 Mt of plastics accumulated in rivers, and 30 Mt in the ocean

The carbon footprint of the plastics lifecycle is significant