We have already created 11 billion metric tons of plastic, surpassing the combined weight of all terrestrial and marine animals. Every year, we add another 430 million tons to this total. A significant portion of this is single-use plastic, briefly used and then discarded without a second thought.
The economic loss is equally alarming. We dispose of 95% of the plastic used in packaging after just one use, resulting in a loss to the economy of up to $120 billion annually. This discarded packaging also generates significant economic costs by reducing the productivity of vital natural systems such as the ocean.
The environmental cost is even more devastating. Microplastics have infiltrated our air, water, and food. They have been found in human blood, colons, lungs, veins, breast milk, placentas, and fetuses. The average person consumes five grams of plastic weekly mostly from water. Our tap water is contaminated, and microplastics have been found in our food.
Our efforts to clean up this mess are merely addressing symptoms of a larger problem. The root cause lies upstream: we must dramatically reduce plastic production and make those who produce plastics pay for the damage they cause. We need to develop better, more recyclable products and find sustainable alternatives. We need to increase circularity keeping products in use as long as possible and finding ways to reuse their materials.
Bapon (SHM) Fakhruddin, PhD
Water and Climate Leader| Strategic Investment Partnerships and Co-Investments| Professor| EW4ALL| Board Member| Chair- CODATA TG| Award Winner (SDG 2021, EWS 2025)
Drowning in Plastic: The Urgent Need to Tackle the Crisis Upstream
Bapon (SHM) Fakhruddin, PhD 