Beat Pollution – Plastic is embedded into every aspect of modern life, from what we wear, how we travel and what we eat. But where exactly is all this plastic coming from? 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.

• 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.