One hundred companies in the world generate 90 percent of plastic waste

Only twenty companies are responsible for 55 percent of disposable waste discarded worldwide, and one hundred companies are responsible for more than 90 percent of discarded plastics. The Australian Minderoo Foundation has published an Index of Plastic Waste Producers, which presents companies that produce disposable plastics, such as plastic bags or bottles, that have a short lifespan and will burn, end up in the oceans or in landfills at the end of their lives. According to a new analysis, global companies, which are responsible for 55 percent of the world's waste, include state and multinational companies, including oil and gas giants and chemical companies. The top of the list was occupied by the American oil company ExxonMobil, which in 2019 contributed to the pollution of almost 6 million tons of plastics. It was followed by the two largest chemical companies in the world, the American company Dow and the Chinese company Sinopec, which produced 5.7 million tons and 5.6 million tons of material. Of the twenty largest plastic producers, eleven are based in Asia, four in Europe, three in North America, one in Latin America and one in the Middle East. The analysis also shows that in 2019, about 130 million disposable plastics were thrown away, and companies in the top 20 accounted for more than half of the total. Disposable plastics are mainly produced from fossil fuels, which is harmful to the environment. In addition, there are problems with their recycling. According to The Guardian, only 10 to 15 percent of disposable plastics are recycled annually worldwide. Al Gore, an ecologist and former US vice president, said most plastics are made from oil and gas, making plastics production and consumption a major driver of the climate crisis. "Plastic waste, especially disposable plastics, also accumulates in landfills, along roads and in rivers, which carry huge amounts of waste into the ocean," Al Gore told The Guardian. The study also showed how many kilograms of plastic waste produced per capita in a country. The analysis shows that on average, humans generated just over 15 kilograms of material. At the top of the rankings is Singapore, where there are 76 kilograms per capita. China produced 18 kilograms of plastic waste per person, in India it was only 5 kg per capita.