5 Corporations Responsible for 24% of Traceable Plastic Pollution

A recent study revealed that nearly 25% of identifiable plastic pollution originates from just five large corporations. Analyzing 1.87 million instances of environmental plastic waste from 2018 to 2022, researchers found that over half of these instances couldn’t be attributed to any specific company.

Furthermore, among the remaining plastic waste, 24% could be linked to five companies.

However, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, prominent soft drink manufacturers, accounted for 11% and 5% respectively. Multinational food and beverage giants Nestlé and Danone, along with one of the leading producers of tobacco-related products, Altria, followed closely behind.

Emphasizing Accountability in Tackling Plastic Pollution

In fact, researchers emphasize the need for increased accountability to address the escalating plastic pollution issue. However, they also suggest that positive initiatives from a handful of major corporations could yield substantial improvements.

“In their published paper, the researchers advocate for the significant reduction of global plastic pollution through the elimination of single-use and short-lived plastic products by major polluters.”

Analysis of Branded Plastic Items Highlights Concentrated Responsibility

Researchers analyzing branded plastic items in the study found that over half could be attributed to merely 56 companies, with a trend indicating that higher plastic production correlated with increased waste contribution.

“The researchers emphasize the need for greater efforts from food and beverage companies, given their extensive use of single-use plastic in product packaging, to minimize their contribution to plastic waste.”

“The researchers highlight that food and beverage items, often consumed on-the-go, pose a higher risk of environmental leakage compared to household and retail products, typically consumed indoors.”

“They suggest various measures to address plastic pollution, including reducing plastic usage, enhancing waste management systems, redesigning products, and improving recyclability.”

“To tackle the issue of unbranded plastic waste, the researchers advocate for the establishment of international standards and shared databases to facilitate more effective waste tracking.”

Advances in Biodegradable Plastics Aim to Address Plastic Pollution Concerns

“Efforts are also underway to develop biodegradable plastics as a potential solution to mitigate environmental harm caused by plastic pollution, particularly as global plastic production continues to rise.”

“The study acknowledges the significant contributions of over 100,000 volunteers from 84 countries who participated in waste collection events organized by the Break Free From Plastic organization, underscoring their essential role in enabling the research.”

To conclude, “the researchers emphasize the significance of volunteer audit events in monitoring global plastic pollution, highlighting their extensive spatial and temporal coverage. However, they suggest that the analysis of data from these events can inform policy decisions and foster public engagement.”

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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