TCoPS - 11

MILLION TONNES
led to growing research into the
negative impacts of plastic. Findings
to date have uncovered that across
its lifecycle, plastic impacts marine
species, terrestrial environments,
and potentially even human health
and contributes to the climate crisis.
As the negative impacts of plastic
have emerged, increasing efforts are
being made to tackle the plastic crisis
through national regulations and
other measures including voluntary
initiatives such as WWF's ReSource:
Plastics and the New Plastics Economy
Global Commitment. However,
despite these best efforts, there has
also been increased recognition of the
limitations of currently fragmented
international frameworks.45
Consensus
is growing around the need for global,
coordinated, and systemic action.
This report aims to build on the
valuable work that has been done
to date and offer a consolidated
view on the negative impacts
of the plastic lifecycle and the
associated minimum lifetime
cost of plastic. This report will
demonstrate how the minimum
lifetime cost of plastic is far above
the market price and how society is
subsidising a broken plastic system. It
also outlines why a global treaty is the
rational next step in global policy to
tackle the plastic crisis, explaining
how the treaty will address the
negative impacts and help to
account for the costs of the
plastic lifecycle.
350
300
250
200
150
HUMANITY NOW PRODUCES ANNUALLY MUNICIPAL
SOLID PLASTIC WASTE EQUAL TO AROUND
523 TRILLION
2.8 MILLION
TIMES
1990
2000
2015
11
100
PLASTIC STRAWS WHICH IF LAID LENGTHWISE
COULD WRAP AROUND THE WORLD AROUND
50
TCoPS

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of TCoPS
