Half of all plastic waste made by just 20 firms
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Just 20 companies are responsible for producing 55 percent of all the single-use plastic items thrown away around the world, according to a new report looking at the global business of plastic production
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PLASTIC PRODUCERS GENERATING MOST SINGLE-USE PLASTIC WASTE

Million tonnes of waste, 2019
Company headquarters Flexible plastics Rigid plastics*

ExxonMobil U.S. 5.9 
Dow U.S. 5.6
Sinopec China 5.3 
Indorama Ventures Thailand 4.6
Saudi Aramco Saudi Arabia 4.3 
PetroChina China 4.0
LyondellBasell Netherlands 3.9
Reliance Industries India 3.1 
Braskem Brazil 3.0
Alpek Mexico 2.3
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*These may generate less plastic pollution as they have higher rates of collection and recycling than lower-value flexible plastics
 
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Plastic bottles, food packaging and bags are among billions of items that are used once and then discarded, often ending up in our oceans
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Sources: BBC, Minderoo Foundation Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS