Page 45 - Plastics News Issue June 2025
P. 45
FEATURE NEWS
on floating plastic debris in the ocean. It is estimated that 75 to 199 million tons of plas-
tic are currently present in the oceans. Without
World Environment Day 2025 emphasizes the changes in the way plastic is produced, con-
message of "Beat Plastic Pollution". Photo: sumed, and managed, plastic entering aquatic
UNEP.
ecosystems could nearly triple, from 9–14 million
Since the 1970s, the rate of plastic production tons per year in 2016 to 23–37 million tons annu-
has increased rapidly, outpacing that of any oth- ally by 2040.
er material. If this trend continues, global pro- Notably, around 1,000 rivers worldwide - mainly
duction of virgin plastic could reach 1,100 million small urban rivers - are responsible for trans-
tons by 2050.
porting nearly 80% of plastic waste from land
Currently, about 36% of all plastic produced is into the ocean, equivalent to 0.8 to 2.7 million
used for packaging - mainly in the food and bev- tons each year.
erage industry - and around 85% of that ends up This situation demands urgent global action to
in landfills or is discarded as unprocessed waste.
address the escalating plastic pollution crisis.
In addition, approximately 98% of single-use South Korea's prominent role as host country
plastic products are made from fossil-based raw
materials, also known as virgin plastics. Green- In response to the urgent challenge of plas-
house gas emissions from the production, use, tic pollution, World Environment Day 2025 has
and disposal of traditional plastic are projected adopted the theme "Beat Plastic Pollution", with
to account for up to 19% of the global carbon South Korea selected as the host country for of-
budget by 2040. ficial celebrations.
Although single-use plastic is a common part Jeju Island, the venue for World Environment
of daily life, it is a major source of pollution. Of Day, is the only administrative region in South
the approximately 7 billion tons of plastic waste Korea that requires household waste to be pro-
generated to date, less than 10% has been re- cessed at designated recycling support centers.
cycled. Millions of tons of plastic leak into the This system obliges residents to sort waste at
environment or are transported across borders, the source, helping to increase recycling rates
with most being incinerated or landfilled. Each and promote reuse. Jeju is also the first prov-
year, the economic loss due to the diminished ince in South Korea to implement a deposit-
value during plastic waste sorting and process- return system for single-use cups, encouraging
ing is estimated at 80 to 120 billion USD. sustainable consumption habits. Since 2022, the
province has declared its goal of becoming plas-
Cigarette butts, with filters containing micro- tic pollution-free by 2040.
plastics, are the most common form of plastic
waste found in the environment. They are fol- (Source- https://vietnamagriculture.nongnghiep.vn/)
lowed by food packaging, plastic bottles, bottle
caps, plastic bags, straws, and stirrers that seem
harmless products that are in fact contributing
to ecosystem degradation.
June 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 45
