Plastic materials flow worldwide 1950-2017

By the 1950’s, the cost to manufacture plastics had dropped to levels low enough to begin mass production. Since then, the production of plastics has not slowed down and by 2017 the total global production of plastics had surpassed nine billion metric tons. Of this enormous quantity, it is estimated that more than half ended up as waste, and roughly seven percent was recycled.

Growing demand for plastic

Plastic is now a part of everyday life, with many applications depending on it such as packaging, construction, electronics, and medical equipment. This increased need has led to global plastic production totaling more than 300 million tons a year, with China being the leading plastics producer worldwide. The most widely produced plastics are polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). In the coming years, PE and PP demand worldwide is expected to increase to 180 million metric tons.

The plastic waste crisis

With such vast quantities of plastics being produced ever year, and ever-increasing consumerism worldwide, plastics have inevitably become problematic to the planet. When not properly managed, plastic waste can often end up in waterways, causing devastating environmental pollution.