Guest Article on Plastic Pollution by Thilo Hofmann in the Austrian Newspaper Der Standard

Plastic has permeated all areas of human life: Over million 400 tons of plastic are produced worldwide every year. Due to its durability, mismanagement of waste and insufficient reuse, immense amounts of plastic accumulate in the environment. Worldwide, only 9% of plastic is recycled, 22% ends up uncontrolled in the environment, and the rest is incinerated or ends up in landfills. For EU countries, the figures are slightly better, but still far from good. It is therefore hardly surprising that plastic is already responsible for 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, most of it already during production, especially through the use of non-renewable energy in the production process.