TODAY (5th September) marks the annual global Plastic Overshoot Day, with 220 million tonnes of plastic waste set to be generated in 2024.
The date marks the point in the year when humanity’s plastic waste surpasses the capability of waste management systems to handle such.
On average, 28kg of plastic waste per person will be generated globally, with a steady rise in total plastic waste of nearly ten percent (7.11%) since 2021. One third will be mismanaged at the end of its life amounting to 69.5 million tonnes of plastic in nature.
The Plastic Overshoot Day report from Earth Action goes on to highlight nearly 70 percent (66%) of the global population now live in areas where plastic waste already exceeded their waste management capacity.
This year’s Plastic Overshoot Day lands ahead of the final round of negotiations in November to develop an international legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, in Busan, Republic of Korea.
The UN Global Plastics Treaty will represent the world’s first comprehensive effort to regulate plastic, with objectives ranging from curtailing production, to banning specific chemicals and establishing ambitious recycling targets.
Whilst last year’s inaugural Plastic Overshoot Day report analysed plastic packaging waste alone, this year the Swiss NGO has included plastic waste from the textile industry and household waste into its analysis.
Using the revised scope, Plastic Overshoot Day 2023 would have landed on the 4th September, meaning a one-day reprieve for this year’s date.
Despite an improvement in plastic waste management practices, the overall quantity of mismanaged plastic waste remains more or less unchanged due to increasing plastic waste production every year.
Earth Action emphasises that any improvements in waste management capacity are outpaced by rising plastic production, going onto state the assumption that recycling will “solve the plastics crisis” is flawed.
There are 117 days of plastic overshoot, meaning that the plastic waste produced from 5th of September until the end of this year will not be well managed. Each country contributes to a portion of this plastic overshoot, according to the total amount of plastic waste they mismanage.
Just 12 countries are responsible for 60 percent of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste, the top five being China, Russian Federation, India, Brazil, and Mexico.
Earth Action works with international businesses, governments and SMEs to assess the impact of plastics though their supply chains and advise on transitioning towards circular business models. It is also the founder of the Plastic Footprint Network, a collection of over 35 global organisations including Decathalon, WWF, Mars and Breitling.
The group works to establish harmonised, science-based frameworks and strategies for plastic pollution assessment, target setting, and mitigation action. Other network efforts include advocating for meaningful global solutions, including a robust UN Treaty.
Earth Action will be attending the final round of UN negotiations in November, working alongside delegates, corporations and aligned NGOs to push for an ambitious Treaty.
Sarah Perreard, Co-CEO, at Earth Action & Plastic Footprint Network said: “Plastic Overshoot Day should serve both as a testament to our current trajectory and as a blueprint for necessary action. The decisions made today will echo through ecosystems and economies for generations. A business-as-usual approach to solving the plastic crisis will only worsen its effects.
“The necessity for change is founded in the need to protect the environment and our health, but the risk of inaction to business is often overlooked – profit as well as the planet will be victim of this crisis. Many corporations and SMEs are taking steps to account for their plastic footprint and instil circularity through supply chains. It is this corporate action, collaboration and regulation through an effective UN Treaty that will deliver change. I hope 2024 is the year we see ambition turned to action.”
Nicolas Rochat, Founder at Mover Plastic Free Sportswear said: “Today is a stark reminder that the time for change is now. The numbers are clear – three-quarters of the way through the year, we have already exhausted our ability to hold back the plastic tide. Continuing down this path of uninhibited plastic production is unconscionable and threatens the prosperity of both businesses and humankind.”
« So-called solutions such as recycling plastics will only increase the physical and chemical plastic pollution. It’s time to move beyond temporary fixes and invest in innovative, non-polluting alternatives across supply chains that will futureproof us against impending catastrophe. Our planet can no longer afford the cost of inaction nor the cost of perpetuating the problem.”
