A study undertaken by a consortium of global universities has found that for every 1% increase in plastic production there is an associated 1% increase in plastic pollution.

The results of a research study, which started five years ago and was led by scientists from a dozen different universities across the world, uncover a strong relationship between plastic production and pollution across geographies and widely varying waste management systems.

The researchers claim this is the first robust quantification of the global relationship between plastic production and pollution.

The findings reveal that fast-moving consumer goods companies disproportionately contribute to plastic pollution more than household and retail companies.

In fact, just 56 global companies are responsible for more than half of all branded plastic pollution. The biggest contributors are The Coca-Cola Company with 11%, followed by PepsiCo (5%), Nestlé (3%), Danone (3%) and Altria/Philip Morris International (2%).

“This...