Plastic scraps imported by paper mills in East Java, Bangun Village, Mojokerto, and entangled metals and paper scraps are burned. Marginalised communities bear the disproportionate brunt of the plastic waste trade. Photo credit: ECOTON-Indonesia.
A new study on global plastic pollution published by the University of Leeds in the NatureJournal is facing criticism for failing to account for the impacts of ‘waste colonialism’—the practice of high-income countries exporting plastic waste to lower-income nations.
The study, published on 04 September, claims that more than two-thirds of the annual 57 million tons of plastic pollution originate from countries in the Global South. It identifies India, Nigeria, and Indonesia as emerging plastic pollution hotspots and predicts that Sub-Saharan Africa could become the world’s largest source of plastic pollution in the coming decades.
Critics argue that by excluding the pollution caused by plastic production and the substantial role of plastic waste imports from the Global North, the study unfairly shifts the blame onto nations that are recipients of exported waste.
Data from the Basel Action Network (BAN) shows that countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and India are among the top destinations for plastic waste from wealthier nations. “If the Global North is serious about ending plastic pollution, they must stop the millions of tons of plastic waste exports to the Global South,” said Pui Yi Wong of BAN (Malaysia).
The plastic waste trade has led to environmental damage, health crises, and even cross-border criminal activity in these nations, according to environmental groups.
Therese Karlsson, Science Advisor at the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) (Sweden), criticized the study for creating a “dangerous and false impression” that the US and European countries play a limited role in the plastic crisis. Karlsson emphasized that the Global North must be held accountable not only for its production but for the “illegal waste trafficking” that exacerbates the issue in the Global South.
The study’s exclusion of high-income country exports, even while acknowledging “significant data gaps,” has also drawn condemnation from environmental organizations. Lauren Weir, Senior Ocean Campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency UK, pointed out that the UK exported 568 million kilograms of plastic waste in 2023, an increase from 2020, the data year used in the study.
In response to the findings, Nalini Shekhar of Hasiru Dala, a group that works with waste pickers in India, expressed concern over the widespread use of multi-layered plastic (MLP) and sachets, which are often discarded and impossible to recycle. She urged the political will to phase out single-use plastics.
This is not the first time Global South nations have been blamed for the plastic crisis. In 2022, the Ocean Conservancy retracted a similar report, issuing an apology for failing to address the role of developed countries.
The study’s narrow focus on uncollected waste and open burning also overlooks the greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production, which threatens global climate goals, according to Swathi Seshadri of the Centre for Financial Accountability, based in India.
The study comes as international negotiations loom for a Global Plastics Treaty. In November, UN member states will meet in South Korea for the fifth round of treaty discussions. Critics warn that studies like this if left unchecked, could influence the negotiations in a way that fails to deliver systemic solutions to the global plastic crisis.
This article was originally published in Maktoob Media and can be read here.
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