For 2024, Plastic Overshoot Day lands on
September 5th
Sept. 5th
Plastic… is… everywhere
By 2040 plastic production is set to double, with plastic pollution expected to triple
Plastic pollution is an environmental crisis – a crisis rooted in the imbalance between the volumes of plastic that are produced and used, and the world’s ability to manage those volumes when they become waste.
The imbalance results in a significant amount of plastic ending up in the environment every year, with a devastating portion ending up in the oceans. Mismanaged plastic waste is a significant threat to global ecosystems and by extension, human well-being.
In 2024 the volume of plastic waste will overshoot the volume that waste systems can manage on September 5th.
By tracking this date we can more clearly define and understand the problem, and hold governments, businesses and individuals to account for their role in contributing to it.
We can also further support critical efforts to stop the flow of plastic into natural ecosystems and thankfully there is good news to celebrate and positive progress in this regard. Global negotiators are currently working to establish a Plastic Treaty, with a legally-binding agreement set to be in place by the end of 2024 that will reset the course of the plastic pollution crisis.
It’s time for action
Together, we can work toward reducing plastic production and use, improving viable waste management systems, promoting sustainable alternatives, and pushing for policy changes to combat plastic pollution and protect our oceans, the environment and the well-being of future generations.
In 2024, a staggering 31.5% of plastic that is produced and used is mismanaged as waste, thus likely to end up in the Earth’s air, water, or soil. This means
tons of additional plastic waste will end up in nature this year.
Every country has its own Plastic Overshoot Day! Explore the Details for Your Country
A country’s overshoot day incorporates the amount of waste generated by the population and how well the waste is managed.
The story of a country’s Plastic Overshoot Day is built upon 1) the amount of plastic waste the population generates 2) how well plastic is managed when it becomes waste 3) how much plastic waste the country exports 4) how much plastic waste the country imports
Contribution to Plastic Overshoot Day by country
Each country contributes to a portion of the 117 days of plastic overshoot that will occur in 2024. Countries contribute in different proportions according to the total amount of plastic waste they mismanage, with this amount then translated into a number of days.
Is it getting better or worse?
Since 2021, Plastic Overshoot Day has been pushed a little closer to December every year by a few days, indicating a slight improvement in global waste management.
However, there has been a consistent rise in global plastic waste generation. Therefore, despite an improvement in plastic waste management practices, the overall quantity of mismanaged plastic waste remains more or less unchanged.
Methodology
EA is a research consultancy uniting strong scientific research with meaningful analysis and actionable recommendations to empower individuals and organizations working on pressing environmental issues. A key tenet of EA’s philosophy and commitment to support collective problem-solving is transparency.
The Plastic Overshoot Day is estimated and published annually. Revisions to calculations and scope may occur between yearly publications due to improved data and new findings taking place over time. Therefore, for consistency with the latest reported data and scientific understanding, Overshoot dates for past years are recalculated in every new publication, ensuring each year’s metrics share a common dataset and calculation methods. Values may be readjusted compared to previous communications. Consequently, we advise readers to consistently consult the latest Plastic Overshoot Day publication for reliable comparisons. Relying on media reports from past years may yield inaccurate conclusions.
Check out a detailed description about Plastic Overshoot Day in the expanded methodology.
Country Profiles
Plastic Overshoot Day aims to offer insights into interventions that countries can use to reduce overall plastic waste and in particular, mitigate mismanaged plastic waste, therefore prolonging their overshoot date.
While recognizing that each country has unique realities related to plastic pollution – including plastic usage levels, waste management infrastructure, and relevant policies – Plastic Overshoot Day looked to establish categories so that countries could be profiled and relevant and meaningful solutions could be presented and explored.
Recommendations
The UN Plastic Treaty represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spark global action against plastic pollution. However, to achieve this, the treaty must be adequately scoped, negotiated, ratified, and enforced with high ambition. Anything less is simply not an option.
To this end, the following must happen:
Recommendation 1
Global plastic production must be capped and gradually reduced.
Despite current pledges and waste management capacity increases, planned production increases will lead to plastic pollution almost doubling by 2040. This trajectory is unacceptable, and production capacity capping is necessary to reduce plastic pollution over time.
Recommendation 2
Plastics not designed for circular use must be phased out.
Circular economy solutions, when applied at scale, can reduce annual volumes of plastic pollution by at least 80% by 2040 compared to business-as-usual.
Recommendation 3
To ensure global participation, innovative finance and capacity-building are essential for developing and implementing national legislation and action plans.
Outcome-based financial mechanisms should be embraced by businesses and governments. These modalities incentivize measurable reductions and bridge the funding gap hindering progress on plastic pollution mitigation efforts.
Recommendation 4
Governments and businesses must be held accountable through mandatory disclosure and reporting.
Businesses, for instance, must shift from disclosing their input of waste (e.g., “100% of our plastics are recyclable”) to disclosing their output of waste and its fate (e.g., “27% of our plastic is mismanaged and ends up in the environment”).
Recommendation 5
Global North countries that export their waste to Global South countries must be held accountable for supporting infrastructure development in importing countries by at least the volume they export annually.
Behind Plastic Overshoot Day
EA – Earth Action is a Swiss-based team of sustainability leaders committed to delivering innovative and actionable research and consulting services to global organizations.
Through its non-profit division, EA reinvests profits and directs talents into impactful initiatives, including Plastic Overshoot Day. In particular this initiative builds on EA’s extensive expertise and research in plastics, and specifically leverages the pioneering methodology and metrics made available in EA’s PLASTEAX database. Notably, PLASTEAX provides comprehensive polymer-specific and country-level data about plastic waste globally. Both PLASTEAX and Plastic Overshoot Day showcase EA’s commitment to transparency, raising awareness, and driving sustainable solutions to address plastic pollution, a significant global challenge.
Scope for better impact
Partners
We express our sincere gratitude to our esteemed partners for their invaluable support and unwavering dedication to the Plastic Overshoot Day initiative, exemplifying a profound commitment to combatting plastic pollution and fostering a more sustainable future.
The team behind Plastic Overshoot Day is grateful to the Global Footprint Network and their Earth Overshoot Day initiative, an inspiring example for establishing understandable benchmarks and empowering global citizens to better conceptualize the environmental challenges affecting our planet.
Voices on Plastic Overshoot Day report 2024
Support
Thank you for supporting Plastic Overshoot Day, an initiative by EA – Earth Action, a not-for-profit organization. Your contribution will go towards further development of empowering materials that can be used by all those working towards action and dissemination of recommendations to effectively reduce plastic pollution around the globe.
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