Environment

Each year, approximately 83 mio tonnes of textile waste are produced globally – 65% of which are made from fossil-fuel derived synthetic fibres. This resource provides an accessible overview of how textile waste affects people and the environment in Africa. It also explores the global systems driving the crisis and outlines practical steps toward lasting, equitable solutions.

Plastic pollution is a serious issue of global concern which requires an urgent and international response involving all relevant actors at different levels. This page aims at listing relevant information, research, data and/or press releases issued by our partners in Geneva and other institutions around the world.

Plastic pollution threatens not only the environment, but also human health and that of future generations. This page is part of the Plastics and the Environment series, a set of online resources on the plastics crisis, its impact on people and the environment, and international cooperation to address this global problem. 

Despite being one of the most pervasive materials on the planet, plastic and its impact on human health remain poorly understood. Yet exposure to plastic is expanding into new areas of the environment and food chain as existing plastic products fragment into smaller particles and concentrate toxic chemicals. As plastic production increases, this exposure will only grow.

IKHAPP comprises a community of scientists committed to an environment free from plastic pollution. Its mission is to collect, critically analyse and disseminate scientific knowledge to support effective policies and actions to fight plastic pollution globally. Materials include policy briefs, fact sheets and a library.

The Plastic Tool draws attention to plastic and shows the various aspects of plastic madness from production to landfill. It can be used to pass on knowledge about harmful substancesin plastic products and how to avoid plastic to protect our emvironment and health.

A new investigation exposes the toxic supply chain fueling global plastic production, shedding new light on the critical players driving the plastics and climate crises. The findings were used to build the Fracked Plastics Map, an interactive tool that traces the connections between more than 25 major consumer brands and petrochemicals sourced from fracking.

The notion of Plastic Age implies that a material and its materiality with all its relations it engages enables a new way of living. Plastics materialize through practices and technological configurations, are symbolically loaded, and enable new economic, technological, natural, and societal relations all atonce.