Global Plastic Policy Calculator

Welcome to the global plastic policy calculator!

Everyone knows this: plastic pollution is a big issue. It has consequences for the environment, our society, and our health. Yet, despite this awareness, plastic production continues to rise, showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, whenever we talk about plastic pollution, more often than not, the issue of plastic production is swiftly put aside, almost as if plastic "spontaneously" appears in the environment with no human involvement whatsoever, leaving recycling and other individual actions as the only conceivable solution to the problem. After all, plastic is basically a natural occurrence that we need to adapt to, right? Well, not really.

Plastic is most definitely not a natural phenomenon; most people didn't even know what plastic was before the 1950s! As such, controlling its life cycle, through and through, should be more than possible.

This is where the global plastic policy calculator comes in. With this tool, you can quickly check how different policies, from recycling to banning certain types of plastics, would affect the overall plastic life cycle and decide for yourself the best strategy to tackle the issue, at the global policy level. Recycling and individual action are pieces of the puzzle, but they are far from being the only solutions!

Keep reading to learn more about plastic pollution, the global plastic treaty to end plastic pollution, and the different policies to reduce plastic pollution​ that it might involve.

Plastic is undeniably a human invention, and its production requires deliberate human activity. But who exactly are the people making it and what are they making it for?

One of the main types of plastic being produced nowadays, accounting for nearly 40% of all plastic produced, is single-use plastics such as those used in food packaging, wrappers, and plastic bottles. These are the most commonly found types of plastic littering our environment and also some of the most difficult to avoid in our daily lives — just picture a trip to the supermarket, where you try to buy only plastic-free products. How long do you think it would take before you start tearing your hair out?

Indeed, navigating the world of single-use plastics can be tricky, but finding the culprits behind their production is not as difficult as one would think.

As (un)surprising as it may sound:

• Nearly 90% of all single-use plastic produced worldwide is the result of only about 100 different companies.
• Meanwhile, as few as 20 of these 100 companies are responsible for nearly 50% of this production.

When it comes to littering, the data is not great either:

• Only about 56 companies are responsible for more than half of the branded plastics found around the world.

• In fact, only 5 of these 56 companies are responsible for a quarter of it all!

What's more, this accounts only for the litter that could have its brand identified. About 50% of the litter found is unbranded, leaving ample space for brands to diminish the negative impact they actually have.

So, what can we do about it as individuals? We are not the CEOs of these major corporations; all we can do is change our plastic habits and hope that, eventually, they will hear us, right? Well, wrong.

While reducing our own plastic consumption is definitely a good idea — you can check the reduce your plastic calculator and the plastic footprint calculator for some tips on this! — it is not the only thing that we can do. As astonishing as it may sound, corporations (as much as us) must abide by their government's rules. Rules that can, to some extent, be shaped by the population's demands.

This means that we, as individuals, have the power to influence the rules of the game and the policies that each corporation must follow. As such, apart from individual action, we can all push for new plastic policies to be implemented within our countries and globally.

Now, before you go saying this is impossible, think about the ban on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in 1990, which greatly reduced the ozone holes present in our atmosphere. If we managed to take global action then, what is stopping us now?

Besides, discussions on a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution have already been happening. In fact, November 2024 will mark the last and final discussion on this matter, involving 175 nations. No better time to express our concerns than now.

Okay, so we as a society can push for new policies that better regulate the plastic life cycle. But how do we know which policies to support? Well, fret no more — the global plastic policy calculator is here to help.

As one can imagine, the types of policies being suggested and implemented around the world are as varied as the regions they cover. However, we can still group into a few different categories:

• Banning
  These are the most straightforward types of policies, which simply prohibit the production and use of certain types of plastic, typically single-use plastic and other types of plastic highly toxic to our bodies and environments.

• Reducing
  These policies are similar to the banning policies, but rather than prohibiting plastic production and use altogether, they focus on reducing consumption by implementing different types of taxes and fees.

• Recycling
  These are the most widely known types of policies. They incentivize the collection, sorting, and processing of plastic waste so that it can be recycled. Despite being useful, these policies are still far from solving the issue, as recycling often involves the use and release of more toxic substances.

• Extended Producer Responsibility (ERP)
  These are policies that shift the attention to the plastic producers, holding them accountable for the whole life cycle of the plastics they produce. With these policies, plastic-producing companies may be liable for the mismanagement of their products even after they are consumed.

Hopefully, by now, you are already feeling pretty motivated to learn about the different types of plastic policies and how they may affect your region. So, let's get to it! Below, we will show you, step by step, how to use the global plastic policy calculator.

1. Select the region or continent of interest 🌏.

2. The global plastic policy calculator will show you the current status of plastic waste management and environmental impact from the selected region.

3. Now, select the policy you would like to implement into the region to observe a positive impact. You can see each policy's detail in the previous section.

4. Or, you can also customize your own reduction policy by opening the "Customize Policy" section of the calculator.

5. Tadaa, that's it! The tool will automatically apply the impact from the selected policy and show you the outputs of how powerful these policies can be! 🌟

One thing that we need to consider when using the global plastic policy calculator is what we mean by "production." Many countries choose to import their plastic from other regions; that doesn't mean, however, that they are exempt from production responsibility. For instance, China makes up one-third of the global plastic production, but it comes in fourth place after the US, UK, and Brazil for the top global plastic waste generators.

It’s all good and jolly to learn about the different types of plastic policies to reduce plastic pollution, but how about we delve into some cool, positive examples of policies that are actually making a difference? — spoiler: there are actually many good examples out there! Let's go over some of them:

• Rwanda is often hailed as a leader in plastic regulation, having introduced one of the world's strictest plastic ban policy in 2008. The law, which was expanded over the years, prohibits the manufacture, sale, and use of all non-biodegradable plastic bags and packaging materials, transforming the country into one of the cleanest in Africa.

• In 2021, the European Union passed a directive that regulates the major plastics responsible for marine litter. The initiative sets a minimum target that the EU countries must follow, but some countries, such as France and Sweden, have been making great efforts to go beyond it.

• Chile became the first country in Latin America to ban plastic bags nationwide in 2019, prohibiting businesses from distributing them and encouraging citizens to adopt reusable alternatives.