Towards Eliminating Plastic Pollution by 2040 report

• The report ‘Towards Eliminating Plastic Pollution by 2040 report ‘was released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
• The Report was released at the Third Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution (INC-3).

MAJOR FINDINGS

• In 2022, 21 million tonnes (MT) of plastics leaked into the environment globally.
• Primary plastics use would stabilise at 2020 levels by 2040.
• Under the baseline scenario, plastics use would continue to grow, leading to a 50 per cent increase in leakage of macroplastics into the environment by 2040 — meaning about 30 MT of plastic would leak into the environment, of which 9 MT would enter aquatic environments.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• It provided a clear roadmap for governments and policymakers to tackle the full lifecycle by curbing production and demand, increasing circularity, closing leakage pathways and bolstering recycling rates.
• Curb production and demand by targeted taxes and regulation.
• Make the plastic production process circular.
• Enhance recycling.