Plastic has become ubiquitous on store shelves and in our homes. From wrapped food and disposable bottles to microbeads in body washes, it’s used widely as packaging or in products because it’s versatile, cheap, and convenient. But this convenience comes with a price. Plastic waste is entering the ocean at a rate of about 11 million metric tons a year, where it is harming marine life and damaging habitats.

How did we get here? We have been producing vast quantities of plastic products and have had few measures in place to regulate their use or properly manage their disposal.

Breaking the Plastic Wave, a global analysis using first-of-its kind modelling, shows that we can cut annual flows of plastic into the ocean by about 80% in the next 20 years by applying existing solutions and technologies. No single solution can achieve this goal; rather, we break the plastic wave only by taking immediate, ambitious, and concerted actions.

This report presents a feasible and meaningful pathway towards collectively solving plastic pollution. Prepared by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, with a panel of 17 global experts, the University of Oxford, University of Leeds, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and Common Seas, the report introduces a new model designed to quantify key plastic flows and stocks in the global plastic system, estimates the quantity of ocean plastic pollution expected under six scenarios between 2016 and 2040, and assesses the economic, environmental, and social impacts of these scenarios.

In undertaking this analysis, the authors aim to provide a new evidence base for decision-makers as they navigate their responses to this emerging global challenge, evaluate trade-offs, and implement solutions.

Download the summary, here

Download the full report, here