Single-use plastic production has steeped despite nations taking a pledge to fight plastic pollution. According to a recent study published by Plastic Waste Makers, an additional 6 million metric tonnes (MMT) of single-use plastics were produced in 2021 as compared to 2019. And virgin fossil-fuel polymers contributed 15 times more to this growth than recycled feedstocks.

According to the study, plastic packaging, and disposable plastic items such as bags, straws and cutlery that are used only once and then thrown away, account for a third of all plastics consumed globally.  Evidence shows that single-use plastics are the most damaging to people and the planet, almost all single-use plastics contain chemical additives that enhance performance and aesthetics, several of which are known to be harmful to health, the study highlighted.

As per the findings of the study, more than half of the world’s single-use plastic waste could be traced directly to just 20 petrochemical companies. Waste collection is funded through taxation, and plastic waste is mostly incinerated, landfilled, or exported in developed countries, and almost 85 percent of global waste collection is chronically underfunded and mismanaged, the study states.

Compared to 2019, there is an urgent need for the petrochemical industry to address the single-use plastic waste crisis through transition to circular models of plastics production. The study states how the waste crisis is deepening and has significant consequences for climate and net zero ambitions. And recycling of plastics requires urgent intervention.