Laura De Rosa Only by adopting comprehensive and rigorous policies in all countries will we be able to significantly reduce plastic production by 2040. The partial measures currently adopted are failing. This is what the new OECD report says
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Between 2000 and 2019, world plastic production did not fall-in fact, it has doubled. It jumped from 234 million tons to 460 million tons. The global plastic production and consumption-as noted in the same OECD report-are expected to reach a total of 736 million tons by 2040 if business-as-usual continues, an astonishing increase by 70% from the 435 million tons produced in 2020.
What about recycled plastic?
Unfortunately, the report estimates that just 6% of all plastics produced by 2040 would include recycled plastic. Worse, inadequately managed discards are predicted to rise by 38%, plastic pollution in the environment could increase by 50%.
Partial measures won’t cut it
The partial measures adopted so far to reduce plastic pollution are far from sufficient to reverse the trend. Whereas the demand for plastic remains high in OECD countries, it is growing very fast in the emerging economies, particularly in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America.
How do we address this?
The solution lies in comprehensive and stringent global policies, addressing the twin issues of production and demand with more efficient recycling systems and relocating production to less sensitive areas.
For their part, governments have to “damp the flow of plastics and encourage environmentally friendly design”, invest in sustainable waste management, and pursue “targeted interventions aimed at reducing the risk associated with microplastic and plastics pollution”.
In other words, there is still much work to do.
Source: OECD
