Plastics Stories

Today countries from around the world unanimously agreed to develop a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. In doing so, the United Nations Environment Assembly took one of the world’s most ambitious environmental actions since the 1989 Montreal Protocol, which effectively phased out ozone-depleting substances.

An exorbitant amount of plastic waste continues to plague our oceans, threatening marine life and the people who depend on these waters for their livelihoods. Despite the dire scope of this crisis, the growing momentum to address it is promising.

WWF invited some of the women leading the charge against plastic pollution to share their thoughts on the significance of the plastic waste crisis being felt in all corners of the planet.

We can prevent a dire future, where plastic production is tripled by 2050, if we choose action now to reduce the number of single-use products produced and to ensure that the rest are made from recycled or responsibly sourced content rather than fossil fuels.

Protecting whales is crucial to protecting healthy oceans for all of us. Yet even these ocean giants are being impacted by the "deadliest predator in the sea": plastic pollution.

Ghost fishing gear includes any abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear. It is the deadliest form of marine plastic debris and often goes unseen. Learn more about how you can help stop this silent killer and protect the health of our ocean its inhabitants.

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats to our oceans today. While cleaning up existing trash is a critical step on the path to a healthier planet, what's even more important is turning off the tap to stop the flow of plastic into our environment altogether. Research shows that as few as 100 companies could prevent 50 million tons of plastic waste. In 2019, WWF launched ReSource: Plastic, a new global initiative to help companies turn their plastic reduction commitments into measureable action.

Since less than 10% of plastic waste gets recycled in the US, most of those water bottles wind up in dumps, where they won’t break down for hundreds of years. Here's how to reduce your plastic waste.

Ghost nets don’t only catch fish; they also entangle sea turtles, dolphins and porpoises, birds, sharks, seals, and more. Since hundreds of animals can be caught in a single net, you can see just how monumental this threat is.

A tiny, remote island, visited only by nesting turtles and crocs, situated in the middle of nowhere, is now choking with plastic. 

Around the world, humans produce an estimated 1.3 billion tons of plastic waste per year, a number that is set to increase to 2.2 billion by 2025. In countries such as Ecuador that have limited garbage collection services, some of this plastic waste inevitably ends up back in the oceans or on beaches, where it has the potential to harm and human health.

Nearly 124,000 WWF activists from 49 states reached out to their member of Congress to support a bipartisan bill to take a stand on ocean plastic, and their impressive efforts paid off.

Covering more than 70% of our planet’s surface, the ocean contains the largest diversity of life on Earth and affects everything from global weather patterns to food systems. Learn what steps you can take help protect the ocean. 

Plant-based plastics, if responsibly produced from renewable resources in an efficient manner can provide more viable solutions over fossil-based resources if these risks are addressed.