In 2018, packaging accounted for 46 percent of global plastic waste generation. This was considerably higher than any other sector, with textiles making up the second highest share with approximately 15 percent.
Although very useful, plastic products, such as packaging, pose a number of environmental threats. Due to poor infrastructure and a lack of recycling options, products often end up in landfill sites, or oceans, causing significant environmental pollution.
Distribution of plastic waste generation worldwide in 2018, by sector
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Basel Convention. (February 24, 2020). Distribution of plastic waste generation worldwide in 2018, by sector [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 11, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1166582/global-plastic-waste-generation-by-sector/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Basel Convention. "Distribution of plastic waste generation worldwide in 2018, by sector." Chart. February 24, 2020. Statista. Accessed February 11, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1166582/global-plastic-waste-generation-by-sector/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Basel Convention. (2020). Distribution of plastic waste generation worldwide in 2018, by sector. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 11, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1166582/global-plastic-waste-generation-by-sector/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Basel Convention. "Distribution of Plastic Waste Generation Worldwide in 2018, by Sector." Statista, Statista Inc., 24 Feb 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1166582/global-plastic-waste-generation-by-sector/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
Basel Convention, Distribution of plastic waste generation worldwide in 2018, by sector Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1166582/global-plastic-waste-generation-by-sector/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed (last visited February 11, 2025)
Distribution of plastic waste generation worldwide in 2018, by sector [Graph], Basel Convention, February 24, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1166582/global-plastic-waste-generation-by-sector/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed