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The report details how plastic creates a global health crisis through a complex life cycle. It identifies toxic emissions during fossil fuel extraction (fracking) and refining, the leaching of endocrine disruptors and carcinogens from consumer products, and the release of hazardous metals and dioxins during waste incineration. It further examines the pervasive presence of microplastics in the food chain, drinking water, and human tissues, linking them to inflammation, oxidative stress, and various chronic diseases. The document emphasizes that marginalized communities bear a disproportionate burden of these risks and calls for a transition away from plastic production based on human rights and the precautionary principle.

The report reviews global environmental governance in 2019, highlighting progress in plastic waste regulation and scientific reporting, while noting failures in climate ambition and biodiversity negotiations. It emphasizes the growing need for integrated governance and forecasts 2020 as a critical year for the Paris Agreement and the post-2020 biodiversity framework.

The document outlines the state of Perú's green economy transition, noting that while the public sector has been slowed by political turmoil and corruption, the private sector—particularly green SMEs—is emerging as a driver for change. It identifies critical barriers for green businesses, including limited access to finance, a lack of labeling standards, and tax systems that favor 'brown' businesses. The text emphasizes the need for better alignment of scattered initiatives and the potential for international cooperation (via PAGE, GIZ, and GGGI) to help implement a national green growth plan.

The briefing proposes a new global Convention on Plastic Pollution to address the failure of existing fragmented governance to manage the 335 million tonnes of plastic produced annually. It outlines four pillars of action: coordination with existing treaties, pollution prevention through production caps and market restrictions, financial support for developing countries, and technical knowledge exchange. The proposed institutional architecture includes a Conference of the Parties, a secretariat hosted by UN Environment, and a Multilateral Fund modeled after the Montreal Protocol.

The 2018 Ocean Scorecard by WWF-SA highlights a mixed state for South African marine resources, noting a decrease in over-exploited species but an increase in those with unknown status. While hake stocks show positive trajectories, African penguins and West Coast rock lobsters continue to decline. Globally, overfished stocks increased by 2% between 2016 and 2018. The report also notes positive shifts in marine spatial planning legislation and the first allocation of fishing rights to small-scale fishing communities in the Northern Cape.

The document identifies plastic pollution as a material business risk, categorising it into transition, reputational, physical, and liability risks. It details how regulatory shifts, technological disruptions, and public perception threaten the long-term viability of plastic-intensive companies. Furthermore, it asserts that under UK law, directors have codified duties to manage these risks to promote company success and exercise reasonable care, warning that failure to do so could lead to personal liability.

The Living Planet Report 2018 documents a severe global decline in biodiversity, highlighted by a 60% drop in vertebrate populations since 1970. It identifies overexploitation and agriculture, driven by runaway human consumption, as the primary threats. The report emphasizes that nature provides essential services worth approximately US$125 trillion annually and calls for an ambitious international agreement to 'bend the curve' of biodiversity loss through a roadmap of clear goals, measurable indicators, and transformative actions.

The report finds that European drugstore retailers generally fail to implement strategic planning for resource efficiency, with most lacking overarching goals to reduce the resource footprint of their product ranges. While some companies implement isolated measures, such as using recycled paper or reducing plastic bags, there is a systemic lack of transparent, annual reporting on results. The document highlights that a 20% reduction in resource consumption for daily goods is already possible through the adoption of existing alternatives like concentrated detergents and compressed deodorants.

This background report for the BLASTIC project identifies and classifies land-based sources and pathways of macroplastic marine litter (>25 mm). It emphasizes that approximately 80% of marine litter originates from land, with a particular focus on urban areas. The document proposes a framework for municipalities to map litter sources—such as recreation, general littering, waste treatment, and industrial activities—and their corresponding pathways (human direct dumping, wind, and water) to facilitate the creation of local abatement measures.

The Living Blue Planet Report 2015 documents a 49% decline in global marine vertebrate populations between 1970 and 2012. It highlights critical losses in key habitats, including over half of reef-building corals in tropical reefs over 30 years and nearly 20% of mangrove cover between 1980 and 2005. The report identifies overfishing, climate change, pollution, and extractive industries as primary drivers of this degradation. It emphasizes the socio-economic risks, noting that nearly 3 billion people rely on fish as a major protein source and that the ocean generates at least US$2.5 trillion in annual economic benefits. The document advocates for the 'One Planet Perspective' framework, which includes expanding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to 30% to potentially generate up to US$920 billion by 2050.

The document details a legal conflict between Mobil Chemical Company and several US state attorneys general over the claim that Hefty garbage bags were 'degradable'. While the bags were photodegradable, they did not break down in landfills, leading to charges of consumer fraud. The case is situated within a wider 1980s-1990s context of 'greenwashing', where vague environmental terms were used to meet consumer demand despite a lack of scientific substantiation or infrastructure for degradation.

A joint open letter from various Canadian organizations calling for the expansion of the single-use plastics ban to include six new categories of items, specific problematic polymers and chemical additives, and a transition to circular systems centered on reuse.

The briefing argues that many of the 16,000 chemicals in plastics cause diseases such as cancers and endocrine disruption, costing governments billions in health care. It calls for the Government of Canada to prioritize classes of additives—including phthalates, bisphenols, PFAS, flame retardants, and heavy metals—within the Chemicals Management Priority Planning process and to use the CEPA Watchlist to flag substances of concern. Internationally, the authors advocate for a "negative list" annex in the global plastics treaty to phase out harmful chemicals worldwide. Domestically, the document recommends expanding the Plastics Registry to include additives, prohibiting harmful additives in food contact packaging, increasing port-of-entry safety testing to prevent toxic recycling imports, and addressing occupational exposures for frontline workers.

The document outlines recommendations from environmental and health groups to enhance Bill S-5 and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA). Key proposals include reinforcing the right to a healthy environment, improving public disclosure of chemical ingredients in products, establishing strict timelines for chemical assessments, and limiting the use of Confidential Business Information (CBI) claims to increase transparency regarding health and environmental risks.

The report examines how the plastics industry uses voluntary commitments and lobbying to obstruct mandatory legislation. In China, it highlights a reliance on biodegradable plastics over systemic recycling and details how industry interference allegedly prevented the implementation of a deposit return system in Hainan province.

The report details how a network of industry associations and lobby groups, including PlasticsEurope and EUROPEN, worked to weaken the EU's circular economy goals and the Single-Use Plastics Directive. It highlights specific efforts to avoid mandatory tethered bottle caps and to delay separate collection targets. In Austria, the report describes a coalition of retailers and beverage companies, orchestrated by Altstoff Recycling Austria AG (ARA), that has lobbied against the introduction of a deposit return system despite strong public support and evidence of its effectiveness.

The statement calls for a binding global treaty on plastic pollution that addresses the full lifecycle of plastics and ensures a just transition for vulnerable communities. The signatories argue that a consensus-based approach is no longer viable due to obstruction by a minority of low-ambition states and urge the use of voting to secure enforceable rules to reduce global production.

The document asserts that plastics are fundamentally incompatible with a true circular economy because they rely on non-renewable fossil feedstocks and leach toxic chemicals. It warns that the term 'circular economy' is often used as greenwashing by the plastics industry to relabel waste management and burning as circular. The author recommends capping plastics manufacture and use by 2025, eliminating toxic chemicals in a new global plastics agreement, and prioritizing reuse and refill over waste management.

The document details how plastic production and disposal contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions, projecting that by 2050, these emissions could consume 10 to 13 percent of the remaining carbon budget. It identifies four main emission phases: raw material extraction and transport, refining and manufacturing, waste disposal, and the degradation of plastic in the environment. The report emphasizes that current climate models often underestimate these impacts and argues that the only effective solution is an immediate reduction in the production and use of plastics, alongside a halt to new petrochemical infrastructure.

The report details how plastic production and incineration contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions across four life cycle stages: extraction and transport, refining and manufacturing, waste management, and environmental degradation. It projects that by 2050, cumulative emissions could reach over 56 gigatonnes of CO2e, consuming 10% to 13% of the remaining carbon budget. The document concludes that reducing plastic production and use is the only effective way to mitigate these climate impacts.