Jun 15, 2019

Chart: How much plastic the world has produced since 1950

Adapted from Geyer et al., 2017, "Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made," Science Advances; Chart: Axios Visuals
Adapted from Geyer et al., 2017, "Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made," Science Advances; Chart: Axios Visuals

Plastics are increasingly hardwired into the global economy, from shipping to building to computing.

Key stat: In 65 years, we've gone from producing very little plastic to more than 400 million metric tons in 2015.

Go deeper: The global plastic problem is even bigger than you think

Go deeper