Circular Economy
Plastic Footprint
Definition
A plastic footprint quantifies the plastic associated with an entity's activities over a defined period: the total mass of plastic placed on the market or consumed, and increasingly the estimated mass leaking into the environment after accounting for collection, recycling and disposal. Corporate plastic accounting follows baselining methods similar in structure to carbon footprinting.
References
Supports definition and framing.
Supports definition and framing.
Overview
How it is used
Consultancies, NGOs and disclosure platforms offer plastic footprint methodologies; footprints feed ESG reporting, extended producer responsibility compliance and plastic-credit purchases.
Why it matters
Plastic pollution is a flow problem measured in tonnes, and what gets measured gets managed; credible footprints underpin reduction targets, regulation and market instruments alike.