Report | December 17, 2020

Plastic-free zones: Save the sea from your office

Danger: Plastic

  • Plastic contributes to global warming since it is produced from fossil fuels. For every kilogram of plastic that is manufactured, about 3.5 kg of CO2 is released into the atmosphere.
  • The system of managing and/or recycling plastic is inefficient – a proportion of the plastic remains outside the system and is transported to the sea from areas far from the coast by rivers, streams or atmospheric agents such as the wind.
  • Every year, more than 100 million tonnes of plastic end up in the natural environment, representing up to 95% of the waste that accumulates on the coasts, the surface and the bottom of the sea.
  • The production of plastic accounts for 3.8% of global CO2 emissions. By 2050, plastic will be responsible for 10-13% of the carbon budget we must maintain in order not to increase the average temperature of the planet by 1.5°C (agreed at the Paris Summit)