The WWF is run at a local level by the following offices...
- WWF Global
- Adria
- Argentina
- Armenia
- AsiaPacific
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belgium
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Borneo
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Caucasus
- Central African Republic
- Central America
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Croatia
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Denmark
- Ecuador
- European Policy Office
- Finland
60 years after the first piece of plastic made from fossil fuels were invented, plastic pollution has now become a global crisis. Plastic can take up to hundreds of years to break down, and the time it takes to decompose is also dependent on the type of product. For example, a plastic bag takes 20 years to break down, 200 years for plastic straws, 450 years for plastic bottles and 500 years for plastic toothbrushes.
Malaysia ranked the highest among six countries in Southeast Asia in terms of annual per capita plastic packaging consumption. The estimated total annual post-consumer plastic waste generation in Malaysia in 2016 was at 1,070,064 tonnes, which is equal to the weight of almost 10,000 blue whales, and can fill up approximately 76,500 garbage trucks.
WWF is fighting for a world with no plastic in nature by 2030. Moving beyond clean-up alone, we are tackling the root causes of plastic pollution. We aim to accelerate a transition to a global circular plastics economy, with a focus on material and product redesign, consumer behaviour and circular waste management.
Our strategy focuses on two levels of plastic pollution: 1) Reducing the use of plastics by redesigning materials and products on the one hand; and 2) Stopping the leakage by creating circular waste management systems for plastics on the other.
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There is no single solution to plastic pollution - we need a combination of strategies and engagement from all actors. WWF supports taking a holistic, systems-based approach that engages with actors along the entire value chain, beginning with manufacturing, through use and consumption, to disposal and waste management. We also engage governments for the introduction of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme and advocate for a global treaty to end marine plastic pollution.
LEARN MORECompanies are uniquely positioned to help drive large-scale transformative change, by improving their own plastic pollution footprint as well as influencing other key stakeholders like governments and consumers to do the same.
LEARN MORE
- Sustainable Retailers Scorecard 2019 Report - Learn More
- Plastic Packaging in Southeast Asia and China report - View Report
- Alternative Material Tool - Learn More