Study: Economic damage from ocean plastic could reach $434bn by 2050

Stuart Stone
clock • 3 min read
Credit: iStock
Image:

Credit: iStock

Estimated $2.5tr of ocean-based economic activity under 'unprecedented threat' from pollution and plastic waste, report warns

The combined economic damage inflicted by plastic waste on fishing and aquaculture, coastal tourism, and the shipping industry could reach $197bn by 2030 and hit $434bn by mid-century. That is the headline...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Waste

Plastic pollution: Most companies lack targets to boost recycled packaging content

Plastic pollution: Most companies lack targets to boost recycled packaging content

New study links poor packaging practices to litigation, regulatory costs, and share price risks, particularly in the FMCG sector

Stuart Stone
clock 16 October 2025 • 4 min read
How Notpla plans to replace one billion pieces of single-use plastic with nature-based alternatives

How Notpla plans to replace one billion pieces of single-use plastic with nature-based alternatives

Pierre Paslier, co-founder of seaweed packing innovator Notpla, discusses edible water bottles, finding innovation in the natural world, and looking for the next 'leap'

Stuart Stone
clock 13 October 2025 • 7 min read
How the Great Bubble Barrier is intercepting river plastic before it reaches the ocean

How the Great Bubble Barrier is intercepting river plastic before it reaches the ocean

Philip Ehrhorn, co-founder and chief technology officer at The Great Bubble Barrier, discusses how the technology stops plastics from entering oceans

Stuart Stone
clock 29 September 2025 • 4 min read