GLOBAL PLASTIC MATERIAL FLOWS

ESTIMATED DECOMPOSITION RATES

ESTIMATED COST OF PRODUCING A PLASTIC BOTTLE

LOCATION OF PLASTICS PRODUCTION AND LEAKAGE

FORECAST PLASTIC VOLUME GROWTHBUSINESS-AS-USUAL SCENARIO YEARS TO BIODEGRADE

COST IN PENCE

Some eight million tonnes of plastic are dumped in the ocean every year, equal to five grocery bags of plastic on every foot of coastline around the world, according to Ocean Cleanup. And with annual production set to soar to more than one billion tonnes by 2050, manufacturers, retailers and consumers must take responsibility to reuse, recycle and close the loop on plastic waste

Plastic water bottles

450yrs Aluminium

cans

80yrsFoamed

plastic cups

50yrsPlastic bags

10-20yrsCigarette

butts

1-5yrs

PlasticsEurope/Transparency Market Research

Ocean Conservancy International Energy Agency 2014

World Economic Forum/Ellen MacArthur Foundation/PlasticsEurope 2016

World Economic Forum/Ellen MacArthur Foundation/PlasticsEurope/International Energy Agency 2016

Plastic packaging production (from virgin/recycled plastics)

PRODUCED

Net increase of plastics stock in economy (difference between stocks at the end of the year and the beginning)

IN-USE DELTA

Plastic packaging discarded

AFTER USE

Uncollected after-use plastic packaging, includes unmanaged/mismanaged (illegal dumping, mismanaged open dumps)

LEAKED

Safe composting of after-use plastics outside collection system (in nature/ at home)

SAFELY COMPOSTED IN BIOSPHERE

After-use plastic packaging collected and managed in a controlled way

COLLECTED AND MANAGED

Industrially composting and/or aerobic digestion

INDUSTRIALLY COMPOSTED

Recycling (input measure, not output measure)

RECYCLED

Incineration with or without energy recovery, as well as other energy recovery processes

INCINERATED AND/OR ENERGY RECOVERED

Sanitary landfilling

SANITARILY LANDFILLED

Headquarters of top 20 fast-moving consumer goods firms by sales

Location of top 20 plastics/resin manufacturers by capacity

Production of plastics by volume

Ocean leakage measured by weight

United States and Europe

Asia Rest of world

2%

10%

0% 5%

5%

Middle East

United States

China European Union

Japan

1.3p 1.7p 2.4p 2.5p 2.9p

Naphtha Ethane Electricity Fuel Labour Other

85%

20502014 Fish

Key stage Breakdown of process

Plastic

1%2%

2%

1%2%

1%

6%4%3%

6% 4%6%

2% 72% 60%

20%

15%

15%

13%

13%

12%

12%

10%

32%

64% 58% 51%

60%

40%

20%

0%

80%

100%

60%

40%

20%

0%

80%

100%

Plastics production

(tonnes)

Plastics’ share of global oil

consumption

Plastics’ share of carbon

budget

Ratio of plastics to fish in the ocean,

by weight

2014

2050311m

1,124m

6%

20%

15%

1%

95%

40% 45%

82%

15%

16%

PLASTIC PLANET