Page 50 - Plastics News Issue September2025
P. 50
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
was mismanaged far exceeding the share that Once in the environment, plastics persist for
is recycled leading to increasing environmental decades and frequently cross borders, amplify-
leakage. ing the regional and global impacts.
Even though the share of mismanaged plastic However, this could be avoided, said the authors
waste in the APT region is expected to decline of the report and showed the pathway. Countries
from 29 per cent in 2022 to 23 per cent by 2050, in the region need to adopt ambitious measures
the overall volume of waste will grow significant- across the entire plastic lifecycle — under the
ly, the report warned. Global High Stringency scenario. Under such a
scenario, plastics use in 2050 could drop by 28
As a result, the absolute amount of mismanaged per cent and plastic waste by 23 per cent, the
waste will rise from 33 million tonnes to 56 mil- report suggests.
lion tonnes — posing escalating risks to ecosys-
tems and communities. The scenario offers the greatest global environ-
mental benefits at the lowest cost. As per the
In 2022 alone, the region was responsible for 8.4 report, secondary (recycled) plastics could meet
million tonnes of plastic leaking into the environ- all future growth in demand, enabling primary
ment over a third of the global total making it a plastic use to remain below 2022 levels.
global hotspot for plastic pollution. Without ur-
gent intervention, this annual leakage could rise Under this scenario, the average recycling rate is
to 14.1 million tonnes by 2050, largely from low- projected to rise to 54 per cent, while misman-
er-middle-income ASEAN countries and China, aged waste — including plastic leakage — could
with 5.1 million tonnes flowing into rivers, coasts drop by 97 per cent compared to a no-policy-
and oceans. change scenario.
Plastic pollution in rivers, lakes and oceans is In view of the cross-border plastics pollution,
projected to increase, putting biodiversity, fish- the report called for stronger regional coopera-
eries, ocean-based economies, livelihoods and tion. It highlighted that most of the lower middle-
human wellbeing at serious risk. income countries in Southeast Asia are already
struggling with their own plastic waste. But these
By 2050, plastic buildup in freshwater bodies in- are also burdened by plastic leaking from other
cluding rivers and lakes — is projected to reach nations.
126 million tonnes, more than double the levels in
2022. Ocean plastic could more than triple to 55 In fact, more than half of the coastal plastic waste
million tonnes, further damaging already fragile from China and wealthier ASEAN countries ends
marine ecosystems alerts the report. up on the shores of poorer ASEAN nations like
Indonesia. These waste flows don’t stop there —
Solution: Adopting measures under Global High they extend across the Indian Ocean, reaching
Stringency scenario countries along the southeastern coast of Africa
as well.
50 PLASTICS NEWS September 2025
