July 3rd marks International Plastic Bag Free Day, which is part of the #breakfreefromplastic movement, a global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution. Preventing and reducing plastic pollution is an important topic for The Economist Group’s World Ocean Initiative (WOI). An often-cited statistic from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation shows why: by 2050 there could be a larger tonnage of plastic than of fish in the ocean. With only around 14% of plastic being recycled worldwide, a staggering US$80bn-120bn is lost to the global economy per year.
In a blog for WOI, I discuss how our recent coverage highlights the need for systemic change, concerted corporate action and international collaboration. Read the full blog here.