The flexibility and versatility of plastics is difficult to match. However, escalating levels of plastics production and use, particularly in short-lived applications, have led to increasing waste levels and pollution of this all-pervasive material in recent decades. Plastic pollution can be found in the water we drink, the air we breathe and the food we eat, posing an increasing threat to the environment and human health, with consequences for sustainable economic growth and human well-being. Without more ambitious policies, the proliferation of plastic production, use and waste will further expand by 70% by 2040.
The ongoing negotiations to develop an international legally-binding instrument on plastic pollution provide a unique opportunity for governments to create a powerful global response to this environmental issue. Building on the modelling framework of the OECD’s flagship Global Plastics Outlook publications, this new report, Policy Scenarios for Eliminating Plastic Pollution by 2040, intends to assist these negotiations by presenting a viable path towards ending plastic leakage to the environment by 2040.
Since 2000, we have seen plastics production, use and waste more than double with significant amounts of plastic leaking into the environment each year. Business as usual is unsustainable while plastic flows and their environmental impacts continue to rapidly increase. As governments around the globe come together to tackle this issue, our analysis shines a light on the environmental benefits and economic costs of alternative policy scenarios with varying levels of ambition. Covering a set of ten policy instruments, the scenarios encompass various stages of the plastics lifecycle but differ in terms of policy ambition and geographical coverage.
Achieving the goal to eliminate plastic pollution requires ambitious action by all countries, with policy measures implemented at all stages of the plastics lifecycle. Strong international co-operation and resource mobilisation will be essential to overcome technical, economic and governance challenges.
It is my hope that the findings presented in this report will serve as a reference for negotiators and policymakers as they develop the treaty and contemplate new policies for ending plastic pollution. The OECD is committed to assisting governments in designing, developing and implementing the ambitious and co-ordinated policies needed to meet the challenge.
Jo Tyndall
Director, OECD Environment Directorate