DRAPED IN INJUSTICE— UNRAVELLING THE TEXTILE WASTE CRISIS IN AFRICA (2025) Fact sheet 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.
Plastics and the Environment Publication series, Resource 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.
Plastics and Human Health (2025) Fact sheet & video 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.
Plastic and Human Health: A Lifecycle Approach to Plastic Pollution (2025) Campaign update 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.
International Knowledge Hub Against Plastic Pollution Resource 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 WECF Plastic Tool: A hands-on tool for environmental education in schools, youth work, and more (2018) Tool 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.
Coca-Cola’s World With Waste (2025) Report 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.
Living in the Plastic Age: Perspectives from Humanities, Social Sciences and Environmental Sciences (2023) E-Book, book 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.
Buildings' Hidden Plastic Problem (2024) Policy Brief This policy brief presents highlights from the significant body of science indicating that plastic building materials contribute to serious health and environmental harms over their life cycle, from fossil fuel extraction to production, use, and disposal.
Plastics pollution exacerbates the impacts of all planetary boundaries (2024) Report Through a review of the scientific literature on the environmental impacts of plastics, the research team shows that plastic pollution is now altering some major processes at the scale of the entire Earth system. This impact extends to global issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and the use of freshwater and land.