Global Scans · Plastics · Weekly Summary

• [New] If the global plastic system were treated as a country, it would rank as the world's third-largest emitter by 2040. Engineering For Change
• [New] Health impacts linked to plastic production and waste are expected to rise by 75% by 2040, while plastic-related greenhouse gas emissions would increase by 58%, largely from new polymer production. Engineering For Change
• [New] By 2040, the volume of plastic entering the environment would be equivalent to nearly one garbage truck every second, driven by production growth that far outpaces waste management capacity. Engineering For Change
• [New] The report, Breaking the Plastic Wave 2025: An Assessment of the Global System and Strategies for Transformative Change, finds that without swift, system-level intervention, plastic pollution will more than double over the next 15 years. Engineering For Change
• [New] Plastic pollution is accumulating faster than previously understood, but there is a technically feasible path to reverse course by 2040. Engineering For Change
• [New] Now for the good news: The largest source of plastic waste, packaging, can be virtually eliminated by 2040 through ambitious global action - primarily reuse and return strategies. Gizmodo
• [New] Of all the upstream policy levers modelled, return - and refill-based reuse systems have the greatest effects on plastic packaging waste, accounting for 34% and 32%, respectively, of the annual reductions from the upstream levers by 2040. The Pew Charitable Trusts
• [New] Across all sectors, System Transformation reduces annual primary plastic production by 14% by 2040 relative to 2025, which falls well short of recent calls for a 40% reduction. The Pew Charitable Trusts
• [New] If plastic production were a country, its emissions would be equivalent to the third-largest emitter by 2040, behind only China and the US. The Guardian
• [New] If nothing is done, plastic pollution will more than double in the next 15 years to 280m metric tonnes a year, the equivalent to a rubbish truck full of plastic waste being dumped every second. The Guardian
• [New] Packaging pollution, the largest source of plastic waste, could be virtually eliminated by 2040. Imperial College London
• [New] Plastic can harm human health at every stage of its life cycle, with impacts expected to rise by 75% by 2040. Imperial College London
• [New] Plastic production is projected to rise by 52% over the next 15 years, far outpacing improvements in waste management. Imperial College London
• [New] How packaging pollution, the largest and most visible source of plastic waste, could be virtually eliminated as part of a bold and ambitious vision for the world by 2040. Imperial College London
• [New] Industry adoption: Major corporations are committing to 100% plastic-free packaging by 2030. ATKAPP
• [New] Breaking the Plastic Wave 2025: An Assessment of the Global System and Strategies for Transformative Change projects that plastic pollution could jump from 130 million to 280 million metric tonnes by 2040, driven by production growth that far outstrips improvements in waste management. SYSTEMIQ
• [New] Under System Transformation, annual plastic system costs are US$ 2.3 trillion in 2040. The Pew Charitable Trusts
• [New] The global community can remake the plastic system and solve the plastic pollution problem in a generation, but decision-makers will need to prioritise people and the planet. The Guardian
• With global plastic production projected to triple by 2050, voluntary measures made by corporations will not be enough. The Courier Express
• The UK could end its reliance on plastic waste exports, and create 5,400 new jobs, if it invested in up to 15 new recycling facilities. The Guardian

Last updated: 29 December 2025