Plastics have become one of the most fundamental materials for industry and for everyday life. They offer great functional benefits at low cost. The use of plastics has increased 20-fold in the past 50 years and is expected to double in the next 20 years (PlasticsEurope, 2015). However, despite the variety of benefits that plastics bring to society, we also see that there are some drawbacks. As a majority of packaging items that are used only once before being discarded, it is estimated that 95% of its value, USD 80-120 billion, is lost to the economy each year (The EllenMacArthur Foundation, 2016). Additionally, plastic production emits global warming gasses, which is estimated that in a business as usual scenario, the entire plastics industry could be producing 15% of the annual carbon budget in 2050. An astounding 32% of plastic packaging also escapes collection systems, causing major environmental, social and economic loss by impacting natural systems such as the ocean (The EllenMacArthur Foundation, 2016).
Marine-Litter_Qgreen_You can download the .pdf file on your computer here
