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Environment and related trade

Data insights

The intersection of international trade and environmental sustainability has become increasingly important in shaping global economic policies. This collection of thematic insights explores key areas where trade and the environment intersect, shedding light on the dynamics of environmentally related trade.

Plastic trade saw a drop in 2022 after previous steady growth

Exports value and volume of plastics, billion of dollars and millions of metric tons

UN Trade and Development, UNCTADstat.

Data refer to plastic products and products containing plastics as identified in this classification by UN Trade and Development jointly with the Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS) at the Geneva Graduate Institute, based on HS codes.

See metadata.

Global exports of plastics goods have more than doubled in value since 2005, reaching over $1.2 trillion in 2022. This value is comparable to the total merchandise exports of China, the United States of America, or Germany, and is 2.4 times the GDP of the United Arab Emirates, host of the 2023 CoP28 climate summit. 

The volume of plastic exports grew from 218 million tons (MT) in 2005 to 344 MT in 2022. To illustrate, it would take 17.2 million trucks, each carrying 20 tons, to deliver the 2022 global plastics exports to their destination, if carried on road.

Data updated on 1 May 2024

Asia and Oceania accounted for half of global plastics exports in 2022

Plastic trade by region, percentage of global volume in metric tons

UN Trade and Development, UNCTADstat.

Data refer to plastic products and products containing plastics as identified in this classification by UN Trade and Development jointly with the Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS) at the Geneva Graduate Institute, based on HS codes.

See metadata.

In 2022, Asia and Oceania accounted for more than half of global plastics exports totalling 202 million tons (MT), with Europe contributing 27 per cent and the Americas 12 per cent (a significant drop from 21 per cent in 2021). African economies represented less than 1 per cent of global plastics exports. 

Conversely, plastics imports were slightly less concentrated than exports: Asia and Oceania received 41 per cent (130 MT), Europe 33 per cent, and the Americas 22 per cent of global plastics imports. Africa, a net importer of plastics, accounted for a share of 4.8 per cent in global plastics imports.

Data updated on 1 May 2024

Metadata

 The data for international trade in plastics is derived from UN Comtrade data by identifying plastic products or products containing plastics from the Harmonized System codes used in Customs. This statistical series offers insights into global plastic trade patterns, but it is still in its experimental phase and requires refinement, especially its volume measurement.

The hierarchy table used for the aggregation of Harmonized-System six-digit codes and subheading descriptions to the categories of product groups of the plastics trade across the plastics life cycle are is available on our Classifications page.

Full metadata are available in our Data Centre for Plastics trade by partner, annual (experimental).

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