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This includes using natural light, changing clothes instead of relying on heating or cooling, and shifting to more sustainable furnishings and ...
Turning off the Tap
Food loss and waste account for up to 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, humanity produces around 430 million tonnes of plastic a year, two-thirds of which are short-lived products that soon become waste, according to the <anchor>Turning off the Tap</anchor> report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). By 2040, plastic production could be responsible for 19 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy | UNEP - UN Environment Programme
Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy \| UNEP - UN Environment Programme

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16 May 2023[Report](https://unep.org/resources/filter/type=resource/resource_type=53)

# Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy

Authors: UNEP

![Cover](https://cdn.unenvironment.org/s3fs-public/2023-05/Turning%20off%20the%20Tap.jpg)

This report examines the economic and business models needed to address the impacts of the plastics economy.

[Read full report](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42277/Plastic_pollution.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y)

The report proposes a systems change to address the causes of plastic pollution, starting by **reducing** problematic and unnecessary plastic use, redesigning the system, products and their packaging and combining these with a market transformation towards circularity in plastics. This can be achieved by accelerating three key shifts – **reorient and diversify, reuse, and recycle**,  – and actions to deal with the legacy of plastic pollution.

Significant **reduction** in the use of plastic can be achieved e.g. by redesigning the way in which products deliver their function to society, e.g. substituting dry products for liquified ones so we do not need to transport water (and the products can then be packed in simpler materials).

**Reuse** refers to the transformation of the ‘throwaway economy’ to a ‘reuse society’ where reusing  products and refilling them makes more economic sense than throwing them away.

**Reorient** and **diversify** refers to shifting the market towards sustainable alternatives, which will require a shift in the way products and packaging are produced, consumer demand, regulatory frameworks and costs. Finally, as a complement to the other solutions, the report also discusses the importance of ensuring that where plastics are produced, they are designed to be recyclable in the market where they are sold, and that waste management and the **recycling** market become more viable ventures. Today, only nine percent of plastics produced are mechanically recycled.

The report highlights that these solutions are available now and that a systems change, underpinned by the necessary regulatory instruments, will result in a range of economic benefits and reduce damage to human health, the environment and the climate.

#### Further Resources

- [Executive summary](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42413/turning_off_the_tap_ESEN.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y)
- [Key messages](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42408/turning_off_the_KMEN.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y)
- [Frequently Asked Questions](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42568/Turning_off_the_Tap_FAQ.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y)
- [Topic sheet: Reuse schemes](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42237/reuse_schemes_sheet.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y)
- [Topic sheet: Materials and Products substitutions](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42236/materials_substitution_sheet.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y)
- [Topic sheet: Extended Producer Responsibility](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42235/producer_responsibility_sheet.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y)
- [Topic sheet: Criteria for Chemicals](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42234/chemicals_in_plastics_sheet.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y)
- [Topic sheet: Design guidelines for circularity](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42233/guidelines_circularity_sheet.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y)
- [Topic sheet: Chemical Recycling](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42232/chemical_recycling_sheet.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y)
- [Topic sheet: Just Transition](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42231/just_transition_sheet.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y)
- [Topic sheet: Think global- act local, NOW](https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42238/think_global_sheet.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y)
- [Launch: Turning off the Tap report](https://www.unep.org/events/unep-event/launch-turning-tap-report)
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### How can the world beat plastic pollution?

A systems change is needed to address the cause of plastic pollution. It combines reducing the most problematic and unnecessary plastic uses with three market shifts – Reuse, Recycle, and Reorient and Diversify – and actions to deal with the plastic pollution legacy.

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