April 19, 2025 – Plastic, a ubiquitous material in daily life, has given rise to a pollution problem that has escalated into a pressing global challenge. However, for a long time, the global plastics industry has lacked a comprehensive and in – depth systematic analysis. Until recently, this situation has seen a significant breakthrough.
On April 10, a paper published in the international academic journal Communications Earth & Environment has lifted the veil on the global plastics industry. The researchers meticulously classified each type of plastic along the entire supply chain, from raw materials to waste management and disposal. They accurately presented the flow and stock of global plastics in 2022 across production, use, and disposal stages and mapped out a detailed global plastics trade profile. The study shows that the global plastic recycling rate has long remained at a low level, around only 9%. Among the 400 million tons of plastics produced in 2022, recycled materials accounted for just 9.5%, less than 38 million tons.
According to AsiaMB, the corresponding author of the paper is Tan Quanyin, an assistant researcher at the School of Environment, Tsinghua University. The research also revealed that the United States has the highest per capita plastic consumption globally, with an average of 216 kilograms per person per year. Although China tops the list in terms of total consumption, with 80 million tons per year, its per capita annual consumption is only 50 kilograms, significantly lower than that of the United States. In 2022, only 27.9% of the 268 million tons of discarded plastics globally were sent for sorting and potential recycling, and the actual recycling rate of sorted plastics was only about 50%. It is worth noting that due to limitations in regional data statistics and the exclusion of data from the informal recycling sector, the global plastic waste recycling rate may be underestimated, as evidenced by the numerous small – scale plastic recyclers in China.
While this study did not predict trends after 2022, given the inherent development inertia of the industry and the rigid demand for plastics driven by economic growth in developing countries, the scale of plastic production and consumption is expected to continue to rise, which will undoubtedly exacerbate the environmental challenges posed by plastic pollution. Past research data shows that global plastic production soared from 2 million tons in 1950 to 400 million tons in 2022 and is projected to exceed 800 million tons by 2050. At the same time, there has been a notable shift in plastic waste disposal methods. From 1950 – 2015, 79% of plastic waste was landfilled, but by 2022, the landfilling proportion dropped to 40%, while the proportion of incineration increased to 34%, becoming one of the mainstream disposal methods.
In response, the researchers strongly urge countries around the world to actively formulate policies in line with the concept of a circular economy. They advocate for promoting reuse, reducing single – use consumption, and strengthening recycling efforts to mitigate plastic pollution. Additionally, strict control of plastic additives, upgrading of recycling infrastructure, improvement of eco – design standards, and enhancement of the recyclability of plastics and their products are necessary. Moreover, tailored solutions should be developed to assist the transformation of the informal recycling sectors in developing countries and promote waste – to – energy technologies in high – income regions. In terms of reducing plastic use, unnecessary single – use plastic products should be banned, more recyclable products should be designed, and greater investment should be made in recycling systems and technologies, all of which are essential to combat the plastic pollution crisis.