Plastic pollution has been elevated as a “threat to humanity” by one of the world’s most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals – The Lancet; marking a ‘globally significant moment’ and one of the strongest messages to date as world leaders gather in Switzerland this week for resumed negotiations towards a Global Plastics Treaty. 

With it comes the launch of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics, a new series of reports designed to provide regular updates on key scientific indicators across all stages of the plastic life cycle, from production to its end of life management.

It’s hoped that this ongoing independent data will be used by decision-makers not just at the fifth and final round of negotiations in the UN Plastics Treaty in Geneva, Switzerland this week, but throughout the implementation of the Treaty and subsequent evolutions of it.

The new initiative – inspired by The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change – has received principal funding from Minderoo Foundation in collaboration with Boston College, the University of Heidelberg, and the Centre Scientifique de Monaco.

“The Lancet’s decision to elevate plastic pollution as a threat to humanity is a globally significant moment that negotiators in Geneva cannot ignore as they decide whether the Global Plastics Treaty will protect future generations from the scourge of plastic pollution,” said Professor Sarah Dunlop, director of plastics and human health at Minderoo Foundation.

“Toxic chemicals in everyday plastic items leach into our bodies, and harm human health at every stage of our lives. The evidence for this harm is consistent and overwhelming, and the global Plastics Treaty provides an opportunity for regulation to address this.”

Negotiators are now being called to recognise the undeniable links between health harms and plastic.

“Our knowledge of the impacts of plastic chemicals on human health is growing all the time and signals a need for immediate action,” continued Professor Dunlop. “In 2023, the Minderoo Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health concluded that plastic endangers human health at every stage of their life cycle – in production, use, and disposal.”

The new report series will develop a system of health indicators to monitor the critical information that has emerged since 2023, including more evidence of the range of harms associated with a number of toxic groups of chemicals that are commonly used in the plastic products encountered every day.

Microplastics have now been detected in human blood, lungs, placentas, breast milk, and even in the brain and reproductive organs – suggesting they can accumulate across multiple systems in the body. Animal studies have linked microplastics to gut inflammation, glucose intolerance, hormone disruption, and liver toxicity.

A major 2025 health impact review by the Minderoo Foundation and the Lancet previously estimated that plastic-related health exposures cost the world $1.5 trillion a year, including rising rates of cancer, infertility, diabetes, and development disorders.

Global plastic production has increased by more than 200-fold since 1950, and is expected to triple again by 2060. Most of that growth is driven by packaging and single-use plastics, yet less than 10% of plastic waste is ever recycled.

To be effective, a Global Plastics Treaty will need to agree on a legally-binding cap on virgin plastic production with restrictions placed on the use of high-risk polymers (the components used to create different types of plastics), scientists have warned. It will also need to invest in safe, reusable alternatives and accelerate the shift towards the circular economy in which reuse of products of materials will play a foundational role.

Scientists also recognise that the environmental impact of plastic pollution is just as severe, leaching from the environment into food webs that are eventually consumed by humans. 

Ahead of the talks in Switzerland, the UK’s marine minister, Emma Hardy, said: “Millions of tonnes of plastic flow into our ocean, rivers, and lakes each year – washing up on our beaches and littering the seabed; threatening precious habitats and wildlife. We urgently need a bold and ambitious global agreement that will end plastic pollution by 2040.”

The UK is a member of the High Ambition Coalition to end plastic pollution, committed to agreeing a treaty that covers the full life cycle of plastics to ensure its sustainable consumption, production, and disposal.

According to provisional data from the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, between 2.15 million tonnes and 2.27 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste was generated last year, with 1.15 million tonnes effectively recycled – this equates to a recycling rate of around 52%.

Last November, talks in Busan in South Korea to secure a global treaty to end plastic pollution broke down without an agreement. More than 100 countries support legally binding global reductions in plastic production and the phasing out of certain chemicals and single-use plastic products. Nations with large fossil fuel industries – such as Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, and Iran – however, all oppose restrictions on plastic production, and are pushing for an agreement focused on better management and recycling of waste.

Under both President Biden and now President Trump, the US has indicated it is more supportive of a lower ambition treaty which does not include cuts to production.

Graham Forbes, Greenpeace’s head of delegation to the treaty negotiations, said the science, the moral imperative, and the economics were clear. “Uncontrolled plastic production is a death sentence. The only way to end plastic pollution is to stop making so much plastic.

“World leaders must seize the opportunity in Geneva, stand up to the fossil fuel industry, and take humanity’s first steps towards ending the plastics crisis and create a healthier, safer future for all.”

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