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Time left until plastic outweighs fish
By January 1, 2050, plastic in the ocean is projected to outweigh every fish in the sea. Plastic Bank is racing the clock.
Scroll to see what it’s all aboutThe Why
Today, the ocean holds roughly 1 tonne of plastic for every 5 tonnes of fish. On the current trajectory, that ratio reaches 1:1 by 2050.
8 Mt
of plastic leak into the ocean every year — about one garbage truck per minute. [1]
×2
That rate is projected to double by 2030 — two trucks per minute. [1]
×4
By 2050, four trucks of plastic per minute — every minute, every day. [1]
1:1
The projected ratio of plastic to fish, by weight, in 2050. [2]
Questions & Answers
Direct, citable answers to the most common questions about the 2050 plastic-vs-fish projection.
A: According to a 2016 report by the World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the ocean is expected to contain more plastic than fish by weight by 2050 if current trends continue. The report estimates the ocean already held about 150 million tonnes of plastic in 2014 — roughly 1 tonne of plastic for every 5 tonnes of fish — and projects the ratio reaches 1:1 by 2050.
A: Researchers estimate that at least 8 million metric tonnes of plastic leak into the ocean each year — roughly the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck of plastic into the sea every minute. Without intervention, that rate is projected to double to two trucks per minute by 2030, and four per minute by 2050.
A: The 2050 projection originates from The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the Future of Plastics, jointly published in January 2016 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the World Economic Forum, and McKinsey & Company. It models global plastic production, leakage rates, and ocean fish biomass under business-as-usual conditions.
A: Estimates of total marine fish biomass vary, but commonly cited figures place it between 800 million and 2 billion tonnes. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation report uses a working figure of approximately 812 million tonnes when comparing it to ocean plastic stocks.
A: Yes. The projection is conditional on “business-as-usual” growth in plastic production and waste mismanagement. Reducing single-use plastics, improving collection infrastructure in coastal communities, and creating economic value for waste plastic — the core of Plastic Bank’s model — can change the curve well before 2050.
A: Plastic Bank operates collection branches in coastal communities across countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil, and Egypt. Members exchange collected plastic for income, groceries, school tuition, health insurance, and digital payments. The collected material is processed into Social Plastic® feedstock and reintegrated into global supply chains, preventing it from entering the ocean.
The Solution
Plastic Bank turns ocean-bound plastic into income for the world’s most vulnerable coastal communities — and into Social Plastic® for the world’s biggest brands. Every kilo collected is a kilo that never reaches the sea.
Local collection branches in vulnerable coastal regions.
Members trade plastic for income, food, tuition, and healthcare.
Processed Social Plastic® re-enters global supply chains.