Plastic pollution is a major concern in every corner of the planet, from the depths of the oceans to the peaks of the mountains
Dr. Shamna T C & Dr. Anjali P K
The Republic of Korea hosted World Environment Day 2025 under the powerful theme, “Combating Plastic Pollution,” with a focus on ending plastic pollution globally. The issues are more widely connected to spotlight the growing scientific evidence on the importance of plastic pollution and drive momentum to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink plastic uses. It also reinforces the global commitment made in 2022 to address plastic pollution through a global pollution treaty.
Nowadays, plastic pollution is a major concern in every corner of the planet, from the depths of the oceans to the peaks of the mountains. The United Nations reports that over 430 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year, two-thirds of which quickly becomes waste. More than 11 million tonnes enter the oceans annually, endangering marine life, disrupting ecosystems, and threatening human health. Addressing plastic pollution is essential to building sustainable urban infrastructure and the futuristic growth and development of the world at large.
Pollution is no longer just an environmental issue, but it is an economic one as well. For decades, unchanged industrial expansion and concessions have come at a steep ecological cost. Lost productivity, rising health care costs, and climate-related disasters now impact national GDPs. It is arguing that green is not just ethical, it is economical. At the heart of this problem is a market failure, which means the inability of the market to account for the negative externalities of pollution.
Businesses often pass on the costs of environmental damage to society while reaping private profits. Internalizing externalities through tools like Pigouvian taxes, which charge polluters for the true social cost of their actions. Countries like Ireland have curbed plastic use with plastic bag levies, while Sweden’s carbon tax model is globally lauded. India, too, must broaden its green tax base, enforce extended producer responsibility (EPR), and phase out fossil fuel subsidies in favour of renewable investments.
Ending plastic pollution will open doors to innovative solutions such as biodegradable packaging, plastic alternatives, circular economy models, and improved recycling technologies. This transition can create millions of green jobs and promote sustainable livelihoods, especially in developing economies. Ending plastic pollution is not just an environmental necessity; it is of social, economic, and moral importance. World Environmental Day 2025 reminds us that change starts with each of us and that with innovations, commitment, and cooperation, a plastic-free future is within our reach.
The lack of effective waste management infrastructure, particularly in developing countries, results in a significant leakage of plastic waste into the environment. Furthermore, recycling systems are inefficient, where only around 9% of plastic waste is actually recycled globally, with the rest incinerated, landfilled, or leaked into nature. Combating plastic pollution, therefore, is not just about cleaning up the mess but rethinking our relationship with plastic.
This involves shifting toward a circular economy model, where materials are reused, repaired, and recycled, and waste is minimized by design. In this regard, the measures and recommendations are still lacking and need to be initiated. The initiatives like Policy and Governance, waste management improvements, Community participation and awareness, industry and business initiatives, innovation and alternatives, and digital and technological tools for safeguarding the polluted to plastic plastic-free environment. Pigouvian tax as a solution to pollution problems like plastic waste, carbon emissions, or industrial pollution.
The Pigouvian tax on plastic is a government-imposed charge aimed at reducing plastic pollution by making plastic producers and consumers pay for the environmental harm their actions cause. Combating plastic pollution effectively requires recognizing it as a market failure due to negative externalities and then using economic tools like Pigouvian taxes, subsidies, and regulation to correct the environmental imbalances. This will ensure both environmental protection and economic efficiency in a wider perspective.
World Environment Day 2025 urges us to move beyond pledges and into practice. Where the governments must legislate boldly, industries must innovate responsibly, and individuals must live consciously. Our environment is not an external entity; it is the foundation of our economy, health, life, livelihood, and human existence. If we degrade the existence of the environment, we devalue everything else.
(Writers are faculty members from the Department of Economics, Christ University, Bangalore. Views are personal.)
