Solving Plastic pollution through accountability

The report identifies a systemic failure in the plastic life cycle where the cost of pollution is not borne by producers or converters, leading to a 'tragedy of the commons'. It projects that under a 'business as usual' scenario, plastic pollution will double by 2030, with ocean plastic potentially reaching 300 million metric tons. The document highlights that 37% of plastic waste is currently mismanaged, and carbon emissions from plastic incineration could triple by 2030. To counter this, WWF proposes a 'no plastic in nature' scenario that includes phasing out single-use plastics, achieving 100% waste collection, and establishing a multilateral agreement to hold all stakeholders accountable across the value chain.

• The global plastic system is currently failing, with over 75% of all plastic ever produced already becoming waste, and one-third of plastic waste (approximately 100 million metric tons) entering nature as land, freshwater, or marine pollution.
• Under a 'business as usual' scenario, plastic pollution is expected to double by 2030, with ocean plastic pollution potentially reaching 300 million metric tons. Annual ocean plastic leakage is projected to remain above nine million metric tons per year until 2030.
• Carbon dioxide emissions from plastic waste management could triple by 2030 if waste-to-energy incineration remains the primary alternative to recycling. In 2016, plastic production alone resulted in approximately 2 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions, nearly 6% of total global emissions.
• Waste management performance is strongly correlated with national income; in 2016, over 76% of total plastic waste in low-income countries was mismanaged, while high-income countries produce ten times more waste per person.
• The global plastic waste trade is fragile and highly dependent on China. Following China's 2018 'National Sword' policy to increase purity standards, it is estimated that 111 million metric tons of plastic waste would be displaced by 2030 without China's waste management system.
• Recycling is currently often unprofitable due to high collection and separation costs (approximately 40% of total costs) and the inferior quality of secondary materials, which can trade for as little as a third of the price of virgin plastic.
• A 'no plastic in nature' scenario could reduce plastic waste generation by 57% and virgin plastic production by nearly half by 2030. This would involve phasing out single-use plastics with a lifespan of one year, which could lower plastic demand by up to 40%.
• The report calls for a legally binding international treaty to eliminate plastic pollution, featuring a global waste management performance standard targeting 100% collection rates and the eradication of open dumping and uncontrolled landfilling.

APA

de Wit, W., Hamilton, A., Scheer, R., Stakes, T., & Allan, S. (2019). Solving Plastic pollution through accountability. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/741/nj6fjdc35_SOLVING_PLASTIC_POLLUTION_THROUGH_ACCOUNTABILITY_ENF_SINGLE.pdf

Chicago

de Wit, Wijnand, Adam Hamilton, Rafaella Scheer, Thomas Stakes, and Simon Allan. Solving Plastic pollution through accountability. WWF International, 2019. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/741/nj6fjdc35_SOLVING_PLASTIC_POLLUTION_THROUGH_ACCOUNTABILITY_ENF_SINGLE.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Wit |first1=Wijnand |last2=Hamilton |first2=Adam |last3=Scheer |first3=Rafaella |last4=Stakes |first4=Thomas |last5=Allan |first5=Simon |title=Solving Plastic pollution through accountability |publisher=WWF International |date=March 2019 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/741/nj6fjdc35_SOLVING_PLASTIC_POLLUTION_THROUGH_ACCOUNTABILITY_ENF_SINGLE.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dewit2019solving, author = {de Wit, Wijnand and Hamilton, Adam and Scheer, Rafaella and Stakes, Thomas and Allan, Simon}, title = {{Solving Plastic pollution through accountability}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2019}, month = mar, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/741/nj6fjdc35_SOLVING_PLASTIC_POLLUTION_THROUGH_ACCOUNTABILITY_ENF_SINGLE.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }