Plastic pollution is surpassing all efforts required to contain it, but if we take immediate action, we can reduce its environmental impact by 80% by 2040. A study conducted by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the consultancy SYSTEMIQ sets out eight measures that can help generate savings of $70 billion and create around 700,000 jobs.
The report, “Breaking the Plastic Wave”, published in July 2020, reveals that, if urgent measures are not taken, the volume of plastic in circulation could double by 2040. The study goes on to predict that the annual volume of plastic in the oceans could in fact triple, going from current levels of 11 million tonnes up to 29 million tonnes. This exponential increase stems from a combination of four trends deriving from rapid population growth, increased per capita use of plastic and the transition to materials of low added value, which are more difficult to recycle.
No solution will be enough if it is implemented in isolation, as the study sets out, but solutions can take a more extensive approach when based on the circular economy. This approach entails a realignment of materials released into the market, and an increase in their capacity to remain in circulation after being used. In addition to presenting a more efficient response to plastic pollution, the circular economy offers more concrete economic, social and climatic benefits.
The study, conducted by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the consultancy SYSTEMIQ, in partnership with the University of Oxford, the University of Leeds, and Common Seas, identifies eight measures that, if implemented in combination with one another, could reduce pollution caused by the plastic that ends up in the oceans by about 80% each year until 2040, by using technology and solutions that are already available to us. These measures include a reduction in the growth of plastic production and consumption; the replacement of some plastics with alternative materials, such as paper and biodegradable and compostable materials (those which decompose and give rise to others); the development of recyclable products and packaging; an expansion in the frequency of waste collection in developing countries; the development of recycling processes; and the reduction of plastic waste exports.
In addition to reducing our environmental footprint in the oceans, adopting the changes outlined in the report could generate $70 billion in savings for governments by 2040, as well as reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions from plastic by 25%. The same study also predicts a further direct impact of these measures; the creation of 700,000 jobs.