How do you solve a problem like plastic pollution?

PLASTIC PLANET FROM OUR HOMES TO OUR WORKPLACES, schools, supermarkets, shopping centers and places in between, plastic is everywhere. But what happens to all that plastic when it reaches the end of its useful life? Some is recycled, while the rest ends up in landfills, incinerators and the environment. A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme – Valuing Plastic: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry- encourages us all to take a more holistic and sustainable look at this most ubiquitous of materials. HOW MUCH PLASTIC ARE WE PRODUCING? PLASTIC PER REGION IN 2012 24% 20% 20% 16% 288 CANADA, U.S. & MEXICO CHINA EUROPE REST OF ASIA MILLION METRIC TONS (2012) 7% 5% 5% 3% 1.7 MILLION METRIC TONS (1950) GLOBAL PLASTIC PRODUCTION GROWTH MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA LATIN AMERICA COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES JAPAN FROM 1950 TO 2012 HOW WE USE PLASTIC FOUR 45 MILLION METRIC TONS AMOUNT OF PLASTIC PRODUCED IN THE U.S. PERCENT EACH YEAR. THAT'S 136 KILOGRAMS OR 300 OF GLOBAL OIL PRODUCTION IS USED TO FUEL THE PLASTIC MANUFACTURING PROCESS POUNDS PER PERSON WHAT PARTS OF THE CONSUMER GOODS INDUSTRY USE THE MOST PLASTIC? TOP THREE USERS OF PLASTIC BY CONSUMER GOODS SECTOR 66 TOY MANUFACTURERS HAVE THE HIGHEST PLASTIC INTENSITY IN THE CONSUMER GOODS SECTOR .DUE TO THEIR USE OF PLASTIC IN PRODUCTS 99 SOFT DRINI PHARMA CEUTICALS PERSONAL PRODUCTS RETAIL RESTAURANTS TOBACCO DR. RICHARD MAT CHIEF EXECUTIVE, TRUCOST BIGGEST USERS OF PLASTIC IN PACKAGING BIGGEST USERS OF PLASTIC IN THEIR SUPPLY CHAINS 150 KILOGRAMS (2013) OF ALL FIBERS USED IN THE CLOTHING AND 60 ACCESSORIES INDUSTRY ARE SYNTHETIC PERCENT OR PLASTIC-BASED 60 KILOGRAMS (1970n) ATHLETIC GOODS DURABLE HOUSEHOLD GOODS TOYS AMOUNT OF PLASTIC IN AN MANY OF THESE FIBERS BREAK DOWN AVERAGE MIDSIZE CAR, THE 1970s TO 2013 BIGGEST USERS OF INTO MICROPLASTIC POLLUTION WHEN PLASTIC IN PRODUCTS WASHED REPEATEDLY HOW BIG OF A PROBLEM IS PLASTIC POLLUTION? PERCENT OF OCEAN PLASTIC PLASTIC MAKES UP 15 MILLION METRIC TONS BY WEIGHT, THAT'S EQUIVALENT TO ENDS UP ON BEACHES DUMPING MORE THAN 80 10 MILLION MIDSIZE CARS 10 INTO THE OCEAN ANNUALLY PERCENT OF OCEAN PLASTIC 17 ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF ENDS UP FLOATING ON OR PLASTIC ENTERING THE JUST BELOW THE SURFACE WORLD'S OCEANS PERCENT EACH YEAR 66 PERCENT OF OCEAN PLASTIC OF LITTER FOUND IN ENDS UP ON THE SEAFLOOR THE OCEANS TODAY NATURAL CAPITAL COSTS OF PLASTIC USED ACROSS THE $75 40 PERCENT INCREASE GLOBAL CONSUMER GOODS INDUSTRY $13 DAMAGE TO GLOBAL MARINE ONE-THIRD ECOSYSTEMS ANNUALLY, IN THE NUMBER OF MARINE SPECIES INCLUDING FINANCIAL LOSSES SUCH AS THOSE INCURRED BY BILLION FISHERIES AND LOST TOURISM HARMED BY PLASTICS BETWEEN OF THIS COST IS ASSOCIATED BILLION 1997 AND 2012 WITH PLASTIC PRODUCTION ARE WE DOING A GOOD JOB RECYCLING PLASTIC? RECYCLING IN THE U.S. IN 2012 PERCENTAGE OF PLASTIC THAT IS NOT COLLECTED OR PROPERLY DISPOSED OF IN SELECT PARTS OF THE WORLD 40 PERCENT 29% 32 PERCENT ALL PLASTIC WASTE PLASTIC BOTTLES 57 PERCENT 75 OF THE WEIGHT OF 20 LARGE APPLIANCES IS REQUIRED BY THE E.U. PERCENT TO BE RECYCLED TIME IT TAKES 1,000 FOR THE AVERAGE PAIR OF SHOES BILLION SOLD TO DEGRADE IN YEARS BESIDES BEING MADE OF METAL AND GLASS, TYPICAL HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES ALSO A LANDFILL INCLUDE VAST QUANTITIES OF PLASTIC BILLION RECYCLED $7.7 GLOBAL VALUE OF PLASTIC PACKAGING SENT TO LANDFILLS IN 2010 OF PLASTIC WASTE IS 21 INCINERATED IN DEVELOPED SHOES CONTAINING PLASTIC SOLD GLOBALLY EACH YEAR AND RECYCLED BILLION PERCENT COUNTRIES ANNUALLY WHY SHOULD BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY CARE ABOUT PLASTIC POLLUTION? (SM REVENUE) O 2,000 6,000 10,000o 14,000 18,000 2K KILOGRAMS PER $1M IN REVENUE FOOD SOFT DRINKS NONDURABLE HOUSE GOODS THIS CHART REPRESENTS THE NATURAL CAPITAL COST OF DIRECT PLASTIC USE PER SECTOR IN 2012, WHILE THE DOTS INDICATE THE PERCENTAGE OF OVERALL REVENUE AT RISK AUTOMOBILES AVERAGE AMOUNT OF PLASTIC USED BY THE FURNITURE CONSUMER GOODS SECTOR RETAIL DURABLE HOUSE GOODS FOOTWEAR CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES TOYS PERCENTAGE OF THE 50% PERSONAL PRODUCTS COMPANIES ANALYZED FOR THE UNEP REPORT THAT ELECTRONICS DISCLOSE USABLE, ATHLETIC GOODS TOTAL NATURAL QUANTIFIABLE INFORMATION ON PLASTIC CAPITAL COST RESTAURANTS PERCENTAGE OF REVENUE AT RISK TOBACCO MEDICAL/PHARMA PRODUCTS 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS? USE IMPROVE ADVANCE PLASTIC MORE EFFICIENTLY BY WASTE MANAGEMENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT REDUCING THE AMOUNT USED FACILITIES AND INCREASE OF MORE SUSTAINABLE, IN PRODUCTS AND PACKAGING RECYCLING OF PLASTICS BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS ENCOURAGE DEVELOP INCLUDE THE NATURAL CAPITAL COSTS AND EXTERNALITIES OF PLASTIC IN ITS PRICING CLOSED-LOOP BUSINESS COMPANIES TO MEASURE, MANAGE AND DISCLOSE MODELS AND TAKE-BACK PLASTIC PRODUCTION & CONSUMPTION THROUGHOUT PROGRAMS TO RECOVER RESOURCES THEIR SUPPLY CHAIN SOURCE: UNEP (2014) Valuing Plastic: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry. Infographic by Anna Egelhoff Copy by Todd Reubold ensia.com