Global plastic production, accumulation and future trends

Description

Global cumulative production of plastics since 1950 is forecast to grow from 9.2 billion tons in 2017 to 34 billion tons by 2050 (Geyer 2020). Therefore, it is urgent to “turn off the tap” in regard to the production of virgin plastics, reduce the volumes of uncontrolled or mismanaged waste entering the oceans, and increase the level of plastic waste recycling, currently estimated at less than 10 per cent (Andrades et al. 2018; Boucher and Billard 2019; Geyer 2020).