Global plastic production must be cut to curb pollution, study says

A woman sorts through plastic bottles at a recycling factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photograph: Ahmed Salahuddin/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

Global plastic production must be reduced to tackle the immense challenge of plastic pollution, according to an analysis published on the eve of crucial talks to hammer out the world’s first legally binding treaty on plastic waste.

Mismanaged plastic waste, which leaches into the environment and can be harmful to health, will double to 121m tonnes by 2050 if limits are not placed on the production of plastic, according to Samuel Pottinger, the lead author of the research.