Less than 10% of the plastic produced around the world is made from recycled material, according to the first detailed global analysis of its life cycle.
The research reveals that most plastic is made from fossil fuels, predominantly coal and oil, despite rhetoric by producers, supermarkets and drinks companies about plastic being recycled.
The research analysed the 400m tonnes of plastic produced in 2022 in order to support attempts to reduce pollution and promote sustainable plastic management.
Plastic production has risen markedly since the 2m tonnes manufactured in 1950, and is projected to reach 800m tonnes a year by 2050. “As a result plastic pollution is a pressing and growing global issue, posing major challenges for the environment, economy, and public health,” the authors said.
Quanyin Tan and colleagues analysed key trends in the global plastic supply chain. Of the 400m tonnes of plastic produced over the course of 2022, just under 38m tonnes (9.5%) was produced from recycled plastic, 98% of the remaining 362m tonnes was produced from fossil fuels, predominantly coal and oil.
The research, published in Communications Earth & Environment, shows a significant increase in the amount of plastic being disposed of by incineration rather than recycling, with just 27.9% of plastic waste disposed of in 2022 actually being recycled.
While China is the biggest producer and consumer of plastic, Americans consume the most plastic per head, the equivalent of 216kg per person a year. The US produces 40.1 megatonnes (Mt) of plastic waste – most of it from plastic packaging.
The 28 countries of the EU and Japan also register high per capita plastic consumption, at 86.6kg and 129kg respectively.
Globally, landfill remains the main destination of plastic waste, accounting for 103.37 Mt or 40%.
Attempts continue to agree a global plastic waste treaty to tackle the environmental and public health scourge of plastic waste.
Talks in Busan, South Korea, ended in failure last December after fossil fuel producing nations, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, resisted attempts to include production caps in the treaty.
More than 100 countries supported a draft text that included legally binding global reductions in plastic production and the phasing out of certain chemicals and single-use plastic products.
Talks are due to resume in Geneva in August.
