World Environment Day 2025

Moutain Range of the River Track, Bom Jardim da Serra, Brazil.

Plastic pollution has become one of the most visible consequences of environmental breakdown. It is present in rivers, oceans, soil and increasingly, in human bodies. Each year, more than 430 million tonnes of plastic are produced, the vast majority of which is used once and then discarded.

This year’s World Environment Day calls for collective action to address plastic pollution, arriving at a moment of renewed international attention. In two months’ time, governments will reconvene to continue negotiating a legally binding global treaty, an agreement that may help define how plastic waste is managed and governed for decades to come.

While international negotiations continue, efforts across the real economy are already well underway. Cities, financial institutions, businesses, civil society organisations and Indigenous Peoples’ groups are finding practical ways to reduce waste, reimagine supply chains and safeguard natural systems – work that is increasingly aligned with wider climate and resilience goals.

Through the Race to Zero campaign, thousands of companies, investors and institutions are working to cut emissions and adopt more circular production models. Waste reduction, responsible sourcing and alternatives to fossil-based plastics are becoming central components of long-term emissions reduction strategies.

In parallel, the Race to Resilience campaign is helping to strengthen the systems, people, and ecosystems most exposed to climate change. This includes community-led efforts to restore nature, improve sanitation, reduce waste exposure and support local infrastructure in areas already under strain.

At the grassroots, the Climate-Proofing SMEs campaign is supporting practical steps towards greater resilience. For many businesses, this includes reducing packaging, improving materials and logistics, and shifting towards more sustainable sourcing. These changes often strengthen both environmental outcomes and long-term business viability.

Through our Impact Makers series, we continue to spotlight individuals and communities who are already reshaping the systems they rely on, from fashion brands that have removed plastic entirely from their production lines, to smallholder farmers reducing their dependency on synthetic inputs.

Plastic pollution is not a discrete or isolated issue. It intersects with broader changes already underway in energy, food, health and infrastructure, and addressing it requires systems thinking and radical collaboration. Many of the tools, models and approaches already exist; the question, increasingly, is how they are supported and scaled.