PARIS: Plastic has become a key element of our daily lives due to its ever-increasing use in the manufacturing of a multitude of products and its economic feasibility.

However, before threatening biodiversity, oceans and the global food chain, plastic saved lives and transformed societies into a durable, malleable and cheap material.

After becoming an integral part of daily life and having exploded global production, concerns are growing about its impact on the health of the planet.

But how did we get here and what are the impacts on the environment and climate?

Plastic boom

Global production of synthetic polymers – which make up the building blocks of plastic – has increased 230-fold since the 1950s, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Total production doubled between 2000 and 2019 to reach 460 million tonnes, faster than raw materials such as steel, aluminum or cement.

By 2060, if nothing is done, this figure will almost triple to 1.2 billion tonnes, according to the OECD.

The growth in plastic production has mainly occurred in the United States, the Middle East and China.

High demand

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crises have had two notable – and opposing – impacts on plastic consumption.

The first is the increasing consumption of single-use plastics in the healthcare, food retail and e-commerce sectors.

The second is the decline of sectors affected by inflation and the global economic slowdown, such as automobiles and construction.

Waste volume

The volume of plastic waste produced worldwide has more than doubled in 20 years, from 156 million tonnes in 2000 to 353 million tonnes in 2019. It is expected to almost triple to reach just over a billion tonnes of here 2060.

More than two thirds of this waste consists of objects with a lifespan of less than five years, such as plastic packaging, consumer products and textiles.

In 2019, 22 million tonnes of plastic ended up in the environment, including six million tonnes in rivers, lakes and oceans, according to the OECD.

Plastics represent “at least 85% of total marine litter,” according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

The majority of plastic waste worldwide is caused by poor waste management, with other lesser sources such as litter, car tire abrasion and microplastics.

By 2060, the OECD predicts that the volume of waste in the environment will double to 44 million tonnes, mainly larger plastics but also tiny particles detected in blood and breast milk.

Only 9% of global plastic waste is recycled; 19% are burned; and almost 50% end up in controlled landfills.

The remaining 22% is dumped in illegal landfills, burned in the open or released into the environment, putting human health at great risk.

A growing impact

The impact on the environment, climate and human health is worsening, according to the OECD.

Plastic that accumulates in the environment is not biodegradable, takes hundreds of years to decompose, and breaks down into tiny microscopic particles.

They “asphyxiate marine species, have a negative impact on soils, poison groundwater”, and can have serious repercussions on health, according to UNEP.

“Plastic particles are everywhere, in tap water, in drinking water, in groundwater,” adds Greenpeace.

Plastics also have a significant carbon footprint. In 2019, plastics generated 1.8 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases, or 3.4% of the global total, the OECD and UNEP said.

About 90% of these emissions came from the production and processing of plastics, derived from crude oil and natural gas, according to the OECD and UNEP.