The European Union ships vast quantities of plastic waste around the world each year. For many years the main destination for EU plastic waste was China, which imported 1.4 million metric tons worth in 2015. However, within five years this volume had plummet to less than 4,000 metric tons. This is due to China's "National Sword" policy, enacted in 2018, which banned the import of several types of waste, including plastics. As a result, total plastic waste exports from EU member states were reduced to 2.3 million metric tons that year. The EU has since found new trade partners, such as Turkey and Malaysia, who imported 698,000 metric tons and 363,000 metric tons in 2020, respectively. Just five years prior, the combined volume of exports to both these countries was just 120,000 metric tons.
Annual volumes of plastic waste exported by the European Union from 2015 to 2020, by select destination*
(in 1,000 metric tons)
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Eurostat. (April 29, 2021). Annual volumes of plastic waste exported by the European Union from 2015 to 2020, by select destination* (in 1,000 metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235938/annual-plastic-waste-exports-destinations-european-union/
Eurostat. "Annual volumes of plastic waste exported by the European Union from 2015 to 2020, by select destination* (in 1,000 metric tons)." Chart. April 29, 2021. Statista. Accessed January 21, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235938/annual-plastic-waste-exports-destinations-european-union/
Eurostat. (2021). Annual volumes of plastic waste exported by the European Union from 2015 to 2020, by select destination* (in 1,000 metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: January 21, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235938/annual-plastic-waste-exports-destinations-european-union/
Eurostat. "Annual Volumes of Plastic Waste Exported by The European Union from 2015 to 2020, by Select Destination* (in 1,000 Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 29 Apr 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235938/annual-plastic-waste-exports-destinations-european-union/
Eurostat, Annual volumes of plastic waste exported by the European Union from 2015 to 2020, by select destination* (in 1,000 metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235938/annual-plastic-waste-exports-destinations-european-union/ (last visited January 21, 2022)
