Plastic Waste Makers Index

About

The Plastic Waste Makers Index is a study by Minderoo Foundation which identifies the source of global single-use plastic waste and tracks the repercussions of the plastics industry. In 2021 it revealed, for the first time, the 20 petrochemical companies that generate more than half the world’s single-use plastic waste. In the 2023 edition, the Index includes new estimates of cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas emissions from single-use plastics, demonstrating how single-use plastics producers also contribute to the climate crisis.

The report aims to increase transparency along the entire plastics supply chain, beyond the brands like Coca-Cola, who was named by ‘Break Free from Plastic’ as the number one contributor to plastic pollution globally.

Beyond that, the Plastic Waste Makers Index is a tool to assist the companies named to assess their single-use plastic footprint and to measure progress against their own sustainability goals, in moving from virgin fossil fuel sources to more circular models.

A critical step towards the goal of creating a world without plastic pollution is to bring greater transparency to the plastics supply chain – to better understand its material and financial flows, its environmental impacts, the commitments its companies make to sustainability, and the effectiveness of government policies.

We hope this data will inform better decision-making — by industry, policymakers, investors and the public.

Plastic pellets are the building blocks of all plastics. Photo Credit: Sebastien Salom-Gomis. Getty Images.