TODAY (28th July 2023) is ‘International Plastic Overshoot Day’ – the date when the amount of plastic produced worldwide surpasses all combined international efforts to manage it effectively.
The landmark date has been announced for the first time internationally this year to raise awareness of the growing global plastic menace.
Despite increased eco-consciousness and rising recycling capabilities globally, plastic production has increased 20 times more rapidly than the recycling capacity over the past ten years, according to Earth Action.
The inaugural ‘Plastic Overshoot Day’ highlights the point at which global waste management systems can no longer handle the material effectively.
Prior to 28th July, the research and report from Swiss-based research consultancy Earth Action shows plastic waste has been well-managed this year, meaning it is collected and then either recycled, incinerated, or deposited in a sanitary landfill.
However, with global production of short-life plastic expected to reach 159 million tonnes in 2023, the international capacity for managing plastics without leakage will no longer meet demand for the rest of the year.
As a result, 43 percent of all plastic waste is projected to be mismanaged at the end of its life – equivalent to more than 68.5 million tonnes of short-life plastics polluting the environment this year alone.
This includes a devastating 420,000 tonnes of chemical additives released into waterways.
The report also highlights that the plastic waste crisis disproportionately impacts the countries in the Global South.
Countries such as Bangladesh, Ecuador, India and South Africa are some of those in the Global South defined by EA Earth action as “waste sponges”, a country that has low consumption of plastic yet a high level of plastic pollution arising from it through plastic imports.
Collectively, the “waste sponge” countries account for 66.86 days out of the total 157 days of plastic overshoot projected to occur in 2023.
Earth Action is now urging all governments, corporations, and individuals to become aware of their own ‘plastic footprint’ and take decisive actions that align the amount of waste introduced to the market with existing waste management capacities.
The report includes 10 country archetypes which profile every country in the world, enabling each to have tailored policy recommendations to their unique circumstance.
Julien Boucher, Founder and CEO at Earth Action said: “Today should be a pivotal moment in the global plastic waste crisis. We all have a crucial role to play in this crisis. Now what is required is extensive and ambitious interventions from global governments and corporations, who can lead the change towards sustainable production practices.
“Without this, the Plastic Overshoot Day date will only be brought forward every year. If we can measure and report our carbon footprints, why can’t we do the same for plastic?”
John Duncan, Global Initiative Lead at WWF said: “We cannot simply keep producing plastic, much of it unnecessary, without addressing the significant costs that the plastic pollution crisis imposes on the planet.
“For too long, the inequalities inherent in the current plastics system have kept the plastic pollution problem out-of-sight and out-of-mind for many, with the social, economic, and ecological burden being borne by lower income countries and poorer communities.
“While improving global waste management capabilities will help, we need to focus our efforts on upstream reduction and design of the system, which is where the biggest opportunities lie.”
Professor Terry Collins, Teresa Heinz Professor and Director of the Institute for Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University said: “We are currently living unrealistic, toxic, over-plasticised lives. When mismanaged and released to the environment, the persistent materials and harmful chemicals from plastics can injure the health of humans and all living things all the way to lethality. We are damaging not just living generations, but future generations as well. »
