Outcomes and Actions

The document details a multi-stakeholder approach to ending plastic pollution, emphasizing source reduction, reuse systems, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). It advocates for a full life cycle approach that integrates environmental justice and data transparency to inform policy at local, state, and federal levels in the United States, while aligning with an upcoming global plastics treaty.

• Plastic pollution is projected to worsen significantly by 2040 and 2050; plastic production is predicted to double by 2040, and pollution entering the ocean is expected to triple. By 2050, plastic production is expected to account for 56 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, or 10%–13% of all global emissions.
• Source reduction is identified as a fundamental requirement to end plastic pollution, specifically targeting single-use plastics which make up over 40% of all plastics generated annually and are the most likely to leak into nature.
• Scaling reuse systems can drastically reduce ocean waste; reusing just 10% of plastic products could reduce annual plastic ocean waste by 50%. Replacing 20% of single-use plastic packaging with reusable materials represents a $10 billion global opportunity.
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) shifts the financial burden of end-of-life disposal from taxpayers to producers. Effective EPR systems use 'eco-modulation' to penalize or incentivize producers based on a package's performance in management systems.
• Plastic production and use cause severe public health crises, with the Minderoo-Monaco Commission estimating annual global health-related costs of plastic production to exceed $250 billion. In the US, population-wide exposure to three specific plastic-associated chemicals (PBDEs, PBA, and DEHP) is estimated to cost $920 billion annually in disease, disability, and death.
• Data transparency and harmonization are critical for circularity, as current production data is often proprietary. The report recommends standardized measurements to compare packaging outcomes across geographies, including the weight or percentage of recycled, biobased, and virgin content.
• Public-private partnerships are essential for scaling infrastructure, such as municipal recycling facilities, by combining public oversight with private capital to reduce financial risks for investors.
• Cities serve as critical testing grounds for circularity initiatives due to their ability to move legislation more rapidly than larger governments. Examples include 'Reuse Seattle' and 'Circular Cleveland'.
• Deposit Return Systems (DRS) significantly reduce litter; a 2020 study estimated that states with bottle bills had half as much beverage litter as those without. Oregon's system processes 1.35 billion containers annually.
• State-level policy leadership provides a blueprint for national action. Examples include California's SB54, which requires a 25% decrease in single-use foodware packaging over 10 years, and New Jersey's mandatory recycled content laws.

APA

WWF International (2023). Outcomes and Actions. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/191/55z7uqhzmx_WWF_Plastic_Policy_Summit_Outcomes_and_Actions.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Outcomes and Actions. 2023. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/191/55z7uqhzmx_WWF_Plastic_Policy_Summit_Outcomes_and_Actions.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Outcomes and Actions |date=July 2023 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/191/55z7uqhzmx_WWF_Plastic_Policy_Summit_Outcomes_and_Actions.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2023outcomes, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Outcomes and Actions}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/191/55z7uqhzmx_WWF_Plastic_Policy_Summit_Outcomes_and_Actions.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }