Why Do We Need A Circular Economy for Plastics?

The Foundation’s perspective on the Breaking The Plastic Wave study. Breaking the Plastic Wave, one of the most comprehensive and analytically robust studies ever produced on ocean plastics, was released in July 2020 by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, with thought partners the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, University of Oxford, University of Leeds, and Common Seas. The Foundation published its perspective and set out clear urgent actions in response to the study’s findings. Breaking the Plastic Wave confirms that the circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. vision is the only way to address plastic waste and pollution at the source, while also resulting in better economic, climate, and social outcomes. It shows that to realise this vision, we need to collectively raise our ambition level, and stresses the need to act now, as an implementation delay of five years will result in an additional 80 million tonnes of plastic entering our oceans between now and 2040.