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Global Plastics Outlook

Policy Scenarios to 2060

image of Global Plastics Outlook

The global community is far from achieving its objective of ending plastic pollution, unless more stringent and co-ordinated policies are implemented. A key question is: What are the plausible scenarios for the evolution of plastics in the absence of additional measures and, as well, with scaled-up policy action? The Global Plastics Outlook: Policy Scenarios to 2060 provides such a forward-looking perspective. The report presents a set of coherent projections on plastics to 2060, including plastics use, waste as well as the environmental impacts linked to plastics, especially leakage to the environment. Such an outlook on plastics can help policy makers understand the scale of the challenge to transition to a more sustainable and circular use of plastics and the need for additional policy action. By identifying two policy packages to bend the plastic curve, the Outlook allows for a better understanding of the environmental benefits and economic consequences of adopting stringent policies. This second report is a follow-up to the first report – Global Plastics Outlook: Economic Drivers, Environmental Impacts and Policy Options – which quantified current trends in plastics use, waste generation and leakage, as well as identified four policy levers to curb the environmental impacts of plastics.

English Also available in: French

Plastic waste projections to 2060

The management of the millions of tonnes of plastic waste generated each year is an urgent issue. This chapter presents plastic waste projections in the Baseline scenario, which models the effects of current policies on plastic waste generation to 2060. It also looks at how current policies will affect the shares of plastic waste that are recycled, incinerated, landfilled or mismanaged. Finally, the chapter models alternative policy, trade and COVID recovery scenarios to explore their effects on plastic waste and waste management.

English Also available in: French

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