Industry Agenda

The report identifies a critical failure in the current linear plastics economy, where 95% of plastic packaging material value ($80–120 billion annually) is lost after a single use. It highlights severe externalities, including the leakage of at least 8 million tonnes of plastic into the ocean annually and a projected increase in the plastics sector's share of the global annual carbon budget from 1% to 15% by 2050. To address this, the 'New Plastics Economy' proposes a three-pronged strategy: creating an effective after-use economy through improved recycling and reuse, drastically reducing leakage into natural systems, and decoupling plastics from fossil feedstocks. The document calls for a global coordinating vehicle to establish a 'Global Plastics Protocol' for material and design standardization and to mobilize 'moon shot' innovations in bio-benign materials and chemical recycling.

• The current plastics economy is characterized by extreme material value loss, with 95% of plastic packaging material value, estimated at $80120 billion annually, lost after one use cycle.
• Plastic packaging leakage into the ocean is a severe environmental issue, with at least 8 million tonnes entering the ocean annually. Without action, this is projected to increase to two garbage trucks per minute by 2030 and four per minute by 2050.
• The plastics sector's impact on the climate is significant and growing; it currently uses about 6% of global oil consumption and is projected to account for 15% of the global annual carbon budget by 2050.
• The total natural capital cost of plastics in the consumer goods industry is estimated at $75 billion, with $40 billion specifically attributed to plastic packaging, a figure that exceeds the industry's profit pool.
• Current recycling efforts are insufficient, with only 14% of plastic packaging collected for recycling globally, and only 5% of material value retained for subsequent use after sorting and reprocessing losses.
• The 'New Plastics Economy' vision rests on three primary ambitions: creating an effective after-use plastics economy, drastically reducing leakage into natural systems, and decoupling plastics from fossil feedstocks.
• To achieve systemic change, the report proposes a 'Global Plastics Protocol' to standardize materials, formats, and after-use systems, thereby overcoming the current fragmentation of the value chain.
• The report identifies the need for 'moon shot' innovations, including the development of bio-benign materials, super-polymers with superior recyclability, and advanced chemical recycling technologies.
• Asia is identified as a critical region for leakage mitigation, as it accounts for an estimated 80% of total plastic leakage into the ocean.

APA

World Economic Forum (2016). Industry Agenda. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Industry Agenda. 2016. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Industry Agenda |date=January 2016 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2016industry, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Industry Agenda}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_New_Plastics_Economy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }