This report is a joint output of the OECD Environmental Policy Committee’s Working Party on Resource Productivity and Waste (WPRPW) and the Working Party on Biodiversity, Water and Ecosystems (WPBWE). The report was developed under the overall responsibility of Shardul Agrawala, Head of the Environment and Economy Integration Division, and Simon Buckle, Head of the Environment, Transitions and Resilience Division.
Elena Buzzi was the lead author, with guidance from Peter Börkey and Xavier Leflaive of the OECD Environment Directorate and Elisabetta Cornago (Centre for European Reform, previously OECD Environment Directorate). Hannah Leckie (New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, previously OECD Environment Directorate) also played a pivotal role in the conceptualisation and development of this report and the related expert meetings. Francesca De Falco (University of Plymouth, previously Italian National Research Council), Josiane Nikiema (International Water Management Institute) and Stephan Wagner (Hof University of Applied Sciences, previously Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ) co-authored Chapter 3 and provided valuable feedback on selected parts of the report. The work also benefited from substantive contributions from Marit Hjort (UN Development Programme, previously OECD Environment Directorate) on the relevance of Best Available Techniques for microplastics pollution mitigation.
The OECD Secretariat acknowledges the contributions of the delegates of the Working Party on Resource Productivity and Waste (WPRPW) and the Working Party on Biodiversity, Water and Ecosystems (WPBWE). The report benefited from the insightful discussions of the OECD Workshop on “Microplastics from Synthetic Textiles in the Environment: Knowledge, Mitigation and Policy” held on 11 February 2020 in Paris and of the OECD Workshop on “Microplastics from Tyre Wear: Knowledge, Mitigation Measures, and Policy Options” held virtually on 18-20 May 2020. The Secretariat would like to thank all participants for their valuable contribution.
The authors are thankful to the several experts and colleagues who provided valuable comments and suggestions throughout a number of iterations, in particular: Aimée Aguilar Jaber, Andrew Brown, Katherine Farrow, Frithjof Laubinger (OECD Environment Directorate), Julia Del Valle and Dorothy Lovell (OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct), Greet De Gueldre and Oliver Loebel (EurEau), Alejandro Navazas (European Recycling Industries' Confederation), Bettina Heller (UN Environment Programme), Farhan Khan (University of Oslo), and Francis Peters (Business at the OECD) and colleagues from the World Business Council of Sustainable Development. The authors would also like to thank Roland Geyer (UC Santa Barbara) for providing data on plastic production.
Seamless administrative support was provided by Ines Reale, Aziza Perriere, and Jack McNeil. Chantal Rivière (Grafiklab) created the graphic design of communication material for the report.
The Secretariat is grateful to the Government of Sweden and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development for their generous financial support in developing this report.