Until the mid-1950s, plastics were precious commodities that were used and treated carefully. But in just 65 years, plastic production has increased by 18,300 per cent – fuelling a relentless convenience lifestyle that produces enormous and unnecessary quantities of waste.
Recent years have witnessed an alarming increase in the illegal trade of plastic waste, with high-income countries consuming plastic products and packaging at unsustainable rates, exporting their plastic waste to developing countries with little capacity and infrastructure to manage it.
After viewing documents for 10 shipments of teak imported into Croatia and analysing trade data of reported timber exports from Myanmar to a range of countries, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has identified a pattern of apparent tax evasion by companies exporting timber products from Myanmar.