For more than 50 years, global production of plastic has continued to rise. Some 299 million tons of plastics were produced in 2013, representing a 4 percent increase over 2012. Recovery and recycling, however, remain insufficient, and millions of tons of plastics end up in landfills and oceans each year.

1. OUR PLASTIC ADDICTION
AS GLOBAL PLASTIC PRODUCTION RISES,
RECYCLING LAGS
Vital Signs

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Global production of plastic
has continued to rise for more than 50 years.
229 million tons of plastics were produced in 2013,
representing a 3.9% increase over 2012's output.
PlasticsEurope, Plastics–The Facts 2014: An Analysis of European Plastics Production, Demand and Waste Data (Brussels: 2014)

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Today the global plastic industry
generates revenue of about
$600 billion annually.
First Research, Plastic Resin & Synthetic Fiber Manufacturing Industry Profile (Austin, TX: 2014).

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4% of the world's petroleum is
used to make plastic, and
another 4% is used to power
plastic manufacturing processes.
The European House–Ambrosetti, The Excellence of the Plastics Supply Chain in Relaunching Manufacturing in
Italy and Europe (Milan: 2013)
U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), Valuing Plastics: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing
Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry (Nairobi: 2014)

5. Production of plastics is
shifting towards Asia.
The region produced 45.6%
of global plastics in 2013,
with China alone
producing nearly a quarter
of the world's plastic.

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Packaging is responsible
for the majority of plastic use,
representing
40% of the demand in Europe
and 42% in the United States.
PlasticsEurope, Plastics–The Facts 2014: An Analysis of European Plastics Production, Demand and Waste Data (Brussels: 2014)
American Chemistry Council, Economics and Statistics Department, Plastic Resins in the United States (Washington, DC: 2013).

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While it is true that plastics help to:
reduce food waste by keeping products fresher longer,
allow for the manufacture of healthcare equipment,
reduce packaging mass compared with other materials,
improve transportation efficiency,
and have large potential for renewable energy technologies...
U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), Valuing Plastics: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing
Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry (Nairobi: 2014).

8. TEXT HERE... they also have heavy environmental impacts.

9. TEXT HEREBetween 22-43% of plastic
worldwide is disposed of in landfills.
U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), Valuing Plastics: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the
Consumer Goods Industry (Nairobi: 2014).
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Recovering plastic from the waste stream
for recycling or for combustion to create energy
could minimize this problem.

10. But energy recovery
from incinerating plastics
is often inefficient,
requires air emission controls,
and produces hazardous ash.
U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), Valuing Plastics: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the
Consumer Goods Industry (Nairobi: 2014).

11. TEXT HEREAnd, in Europe, only 26% of plastic was recycled in 2012.
In the US, only 9% of plastic was recycled.
PlasticsEurope, Plastics–The Facts 2014: An Analysis of European Plastics Production, Demand and Waste Data (Brussels: 2014).
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Plastics (updated 2014), at www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/plastics.htm.

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The largest waste plastic
exporters are the
United States,
followed by
Japan, Germany, and the UK.
Costas Velis, Global Recycling Markets: Plastic Waste; A Story for One Player—China (Vienna: International Solid Waste Association, 2014).

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China receives 56% of waste plastic
imports worldwide.
Evidence suggests the plastic waste
being imported to China is being
reprocessed using family-run, low
tech businesses with no
environmental controls.
Costas Velis, Global Recycling Markets: Plastic Waste; A Story for One Player—China (Vienna: International Solid Waste Association, 2014).

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Approximately 10-20 million tons
of plastic ends up in the oceans each year,
and $13 billion a year is lost in environmental
damage by plastics to marine ecosystems.
U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), Valuing Plastics: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the
Consumer Goods Industry (Nairobi: 2014).

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A recent study conservatively estimated that
268,940 tons plastic particles
are currently in the world's oceans.
Marcus Eriksen et al., "Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at
Sea," PLOS ONE, 10 December 2014.

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The environmental and social benefits of plastics
must be weighed against the problems
that its durability and incredible volume worldwide
constitute as a waste stream.

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Along with reducing unnecessary plastic consumption,
finding more environmentally friendly packaging alternatives,
and improving product and packaging design to use less plastic,
many challenges associated with plastics could be addressed
by improving management of the material across its lifecycle.

19. Full analysis, sources,
and data available at:
http://bit.ly/1uUO9jV

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