Plastic Pollution

Plastic production has sharply increased over the last 70 years. In 1950, the world produced just two million tonnes. It now produces over 450 million tonnes.

Plastic has added much value to our lives: it’s a cheap, versatile, and sterile material used in various applications, including construction, home appliances, medical instruments, and food packaging.

However, when plastic waste is mismanaged — not recycled, incinerated, or kept in sealed landfills — it becomes an environmental pollutant. In particular, one to two million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans yearly, affecting wildlife and ecosystems.

Improving the management of plastic waste across the world — especially in poorer countries, where most of the ocean plastics come from — is therefore critical to tackling this problem.

This page presents all of our data and writing on plastic pollution.