Reports and
Publications

These reports and publications are related to the World Environment Day 2023 campaign #BeatPlasticPollution.

Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy

The report proposes a systems change to address the causes of plastic pollution, combining reducing problematic and unnecessary plastic use with a market transformation towards circularity in plastics. This can be achieved by accelerating three key shifts – reuse, recycle, and reorient and …

From Pollution to Solution: A global assessment of marine litter and plastic pollution

From Pollution to Solution: A global assessment of marine litter and plastic pollution reveals the impact of marine litter and plastic pollution in the environment and their effects on the health of ecosystems, wildlife and humans.

Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative 2021 Science Report

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) North America Office, the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), the University of Georgia’s Debris Tracker, National Geographic Society, and other local and national partners worked together on a pilot study for the Mississippi River…

Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Freshwater Aquatic, Terrestrial and Avian Migratory Species in the Asia and Pacific Region Report

This study identifies the impacts of plastic pollution on land and freshwater migratory species protected by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). The CMS report is the result of a collaboration between CMS and the UN Environment Programme as part of the…

Marine Plastics Litter and Microplastic

The global production of plastics has increased from 1.5 million tons in 1950s to about 300 million tons currently, at an average rate of 4 per cent per annum and is expected to continue growing. About 50 per cent of the plastics produced is for single use, and the literature estimates that 8…