Just five companies are responsible for 24% of plastic pollution in the world, study shows | One Planet

A total of 24% of plastic pollution traceable in the world is linked to just five companies in the food and beverage and tobacco sectors – Coke (11%), PepsiCo (5%), Nestlé (3%), Yogurt (3%) and Altria (two%). This is according to research carried out by an international team and published on Wednesday (24) in the scientific journal Science Advances.

According to the survey, which analyzed around 1.87 million environmental plastic waste registered between 2018 and 2022, 50% came from 56 companies. Additionally, 52% of items were found to lack an identifiable brand, highlighting the need for better transparency about the production and labeling of plastic products to improve traceability and accountability for companies.

• Read too: Apple may retire iPhone case made with recyclable plastic due to poor durability
• Read more: The crabs that are ‘wearing’ our plastic waste

“It is important to note that the contributions of major companies may be underestimated because there were brands that were not attributed to a company and many unbranded objects,” said the authors of the work.

The analysis took five years and used data from 1,576 audit events in 84 countries. These audits are citizen science initiatives, in which volunteers clean up waste and document the marks collected.

The authors state that the strong relationship between plastic production and pollution, across geographies and different waste management systems, indicates that reducing the production of single-use plastic consumer goods could reduce global pollution from the item.

According to them, greater accountability is essential to tackle this growing problem. To give you an idea, each year, 8 million to 12.7 million tons of plastic reach the planet’s oceans, and projections indicate that the amount could triple by 2040.

The researchers recommend the creation of an international, open-access database in which companies are required to monitor and quantitatively report on their products, packaging and brands.

Furthermore, they say efforts are needed to improve waste management systems, change product designs and increase recycling. They also call for the creation of new international standards to ensure the reduction of plastic use.