Less than 10 % of the plastic produced all over the world is made of recycled materials, according to the first detailed global analysis of its life cycle.
The research reveals that most plastic is made of fossil fuel, mostly charcoal and oil, despite the speech by producers, supermarkets and beverage companies about plastic recycling.
The research analyzed 400 meters of plastic produced in 2022 to support attempts to reduce pollution and enhance sustainable plastic management.
Plastic production has increased significantly since 2 million tons that were manufactured in 1950, and it is expected to reach 800 million tons annually by 2050. “As a result, plastic pollution is an urgent and growing global issue, which constitutes major challenges for the environment, economy and public health.”
Quanyin Tan and his colleagues analyzed the main trends in the global plastic supply chain. Of the 400 million tons of plastic produced over the year 2022, a little less than 38 million tons (9.5 %) of recycled plastic were produced, 98 % of 362 million tons of fossil fuels, coal and oil were often produced.
Search, It was published in Communications Earth & Environment,, A significant increase in the amount of plastic that is disposed of by burning instead of recycling, with only 27.9 % recycling of plastic waste in 2022.
While China is the largest producer and consumer of plastic, Americans consume the most plastic of each head, equivalent to 216 kg per person per year. The United States produces 40.1 megatone (MT) of plastic waste – most of them from the plastic package.
28 countries from the European Union and Japan also record a high consumption of the individual of plastic, at 86.6 kg and 129 kg, respectively.
Globally, the landfill remains the main destination of plastic waste, representing 103.37 metric tons or 40 %.
Attempts to agree on a global plastic waste treaty continue to address the effects of environmental and public plastic waste.
Busan talks, South Korea, Ended in failure Last December, after the fossil fuel -producing countries, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, resisted attempts to include production covers in the treaty.
More than 100 countries have supported a draft text that guarantees global discounts binding on plastic production and abandoning some chemicals and plastic products with a single use.
The talks are scheduled to resume in Geneva in August.
