According to recent research, there is a direct link between plastic waste and plastic production, and more than half of the planet’s identifiable plastic waste belongs to 56 companies, reports EurekAlert.
According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, every 1 percent increase in plastic production is associated with a 1 percent increase in plastic pollution of the environment. According to the researchers, fast-moving consumer goods companies contribute disproportionately more to the problem than household and retail companies. The study is the first robust quantification of the global link between plastic production and pollution.
The research, conducted by scientists from dozens of universities in the United States, Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Estonia, Chile, Sweden, Canada and the United Kingdom, found that 56 global companies are responsible for more than half of identifiable plastic pollution. These companies
- the Coca-Cola Company (11 percent)
- PepsiCo (5 percent),
- Nestlé (3 percent),
- Danone (3 percent),
- and Altria/Philip Morris International (2 percent).
The companies identified as the most polluting produce food, beverage or tobacco products.
The researchers made the analysis over five years from data from 1,576 audits in 84 countries. Brand audits are citizen science initiatives in which volunteers conduct waste cleanups and document the brands found on collected pollution. Over five years, more than 200,000 volunteers have submitted data through Break Free From Plastic or 5 Gyres TrashBlitz.
The close relationship between plastic production and pollution in different geographical areas and in very different waste management systems suggests that
reducing plastic production in the fast-growing consumer goods sector can be a viable solution to curbing global plastic pollution.
“When I first saw the connection between plastic production and environmental pollution, I was shocked. This means that both small and large manufacturers pollute one after the other, despite the fact that the big brands say they are doing something about pollution. Despite their efforts, however, we do not see a positive effect. On the other hand, it gives hope that fast-moving consumer goods companies that reduce their plastic production and switch to more durable and reusable products will have a strong positive impact on the environment,” said Win Cowger, director of research at The Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research.
