Reuse and return schemes could help eliminate plastic waste in 15 years – report | Plastics

The 66 million tonnes of pollution from plastic packaging that enters the global environment each year could be almost eliminated by 2040, mainly through reuse and return programs, important new research reveals.

In the most in-depth analysis of the global plastics system, the Pew Charitable Trusts, working with academics including Imperial College London and the University of Oxford, said plastic, a material once described as revolutionary and modern, now puts public health, global economies and the future of the planet at risk.

If nothing is done, plastic pollution will more than double over the next 15 years to 280 million tonnes per year, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic waste being dumped every second. A large part of waste consists of packaging.

It will harm every aspect of life; from the economy to public health to climate breakdown, says the Breaking the Plastic Wave 2025 report.

“This rapid growth will harm human health and livelihoods through increased levels of land, water and air pollution, exposure to toxic chemicals and risk of disease, and will lead to higher rates of ingestion and entanglement among other species, leading to more animal illness, injury and death,” the authors said.

Production of plastic, made from fossil fuels, is expected to increase by 52%, from 450 million tonnes this year to 680 million tonnes in 2040, twice as fast as waste management systems across the world, which are already struggling to cope.

It is the packaging sector, an industry that creates items such as flexible films, bags, bottles and rigid trays for vegetables, margarines, beverages, fish and meat, that is driving an increase in plastic production. Packaging used more plastic than any other industry in 2025 and will continue to do so in 2040, according to the report.

The largest source of plastic waste worldwide comes from packaging, which is used once then thrown away and much of which is not recyclable. In 2025, they represented 33% of plastic waste globally, causing 66 million tonnes of pollution to be released into the environment each year.

But packaging pollution could be almost eliminated through concerted actions such as deposit and reuse schemes – where consumers bring empty cans or refillable cups to supermarkets and cafes. Combined with banning certain polymers and replacing plastic with other materials, plastic pollution could be reduced by 97% over the next 15 years, the study found.

“We have the ability to transform this and almost eliminate plastic pollution from packaging,” said Winnie Lau, director of the Plastic Pollution Prevention Project at the Pew Foundation.

“There are two key tools to reduce pollution from plastic packaging by 97% by 2040. The most important of these are reuse and return systems, which will eliminate two-thirds of pollution. The second is reducing the production of plastic for packaging and using other materials like cardboard, glass, metal and banning certain polymers.”

In addition to polluting the environment, human contact with plastic – from children playing with toys to people living near petrochemical plants – causes serious health problems.

“Plastic products contain more than 16,000 intentionally added chemicals as well as a myriad of unintentionally added contaminants,” the report states.

“Studies have already linked many of these chemicals to a range of health effects, such as hormonal disruptions, decreased fertility, low birth weight, cognitive and other changes in child development, diabetes, and increased cardiovascular and cancer risk factors.”

Annual greenhouse gas emissions from the global plastic system are also expected to increase from 2.7 GtCO₂e (gigaton of CO₂ equivalent) in 2025 at 4.2 GtCO₂e in 2040, an increase of 58%. If plastic production were a country, its emissions would be equivalent to the third largest emitter by 2040, behind China and the United States.

But transformation is possible, the authors say. If interventions in waste management, production reductions and reuse and return systems were put in place, plastic pollution could be reduced by 83%, greenhouse gas emissions by 38% and health impacts by 54%. This would save governments around the world $19 billion (£14 billion) each year in spending on plastic collection and disposal by 2040.

“Hope remains,” said Tom Dillon of the Pew Charitable Trusts. “The global community can rethink the plastic system and solve the problem of plastic pollution within a generation, but policymakers will need to put people and the planet first. »