This report results from a project initiated by the Nordic Council of Ministers in relation to actions to combat the global plastic pollution. In March 2022, the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) agreed to convene an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international, legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution. This was considered a breakthrough by many stakeholders in this field. However, policy decisions need reliable and robust data to assess the problem as well as the efficiency of regulations. In the complex field of plastic pollution, there is not just one type of measurement. In a global approach, pollution indicators should be applicable worldwide. This is the background for this project.
The authors thank Cecilie Karoline Kalbakk Elgaard for her help with the graphics, Branwen Messamah for her interest in proof-reading as well as Pia Lassen and Iben Boutrup Kongsfelt for critical review.
The opinions expressed in this report, including discussions and recommendations of specific indicators, are the view of the authors, based on the best of their scientific knowledge.