World Environment Day World Environment Day (WED), celebrated every year on June 5, is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment. World Environment Day (WED) was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Over the years it has grown to be a broad, global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated by stakeholders in over 100 countries. It also serves as the ‘people’s day’ for doing something positive for the environment, galvanizing individual actions into a collective power that generates an exponential positive impact on the planet. Theme for WED 2025 - Together we can beat the plastic pollution Each World Environment Day is organized around a theme that draws attention to a particularly pressing environmental concern. Plastic pollution permeates every corner of the planet—even in our bodies in the form of microplastics. World Environment Day 2025 calls for collective action to tackle plastic pollution. Plastic pollution is a problem we can fix Plastics bring undeniable benefits – from energy savings to material conservation. Yet, the growing crisis of plastic pollution threatens both planetary and human well-being. For decades, plastic pollution has infiltrated every corner of the world – contaminating the water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe. Microplastics are now even found in our bodies. Change happens through all of us. The choices we make can shape industries, shift markets and redefine our collective future. Together, we can deliver an end to plastic pollution that protects people and the planet. Solutions are available and come with undeniable benefits The rewards of fixing plastic pollution are profound: cleaner oceans and lands, healthier people and ecosystems, greater climate resilience, and stronger economies. A circular economy for plastics offers a sustainable path forward. This means we need to rethink how we design, make, use and reuse plastics. Products must be designed to be used more than once, and to be recycled at the end of their life. This shift must include all stakeholders across the plastics value chain. A just transition is crucial to protect the livelihoods of waste pickers and impacted communities, ensuring social equity and leaving no one behind. A global treaty offers us a chance to end plastic pollution and protect people and the planet. In 2022, at the UN Environment Assembly, Member States agreed to begin negotiations on an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Since then, countries have met at five sessions of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution to work towards an agreement. Now in the third year of negotiations, the second part of the fifth session of the INC (INC-5.2) will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5 to 14 August 2025. This marks a critical turning point—a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure a global treaty that redefines our relationship with plastics and safeguards human and environmental health. Facts and figures Global consumption and production In 2025, the world is expected to consume 516 million tonnes of plastics. By 2060, annual global plastic consumption is forecast to reach over 1.2 billion tonnes. Environmental impact Plastic pollution is present everywhere, from the Mariana Trench (deepest ocean point) to Mount Everest (highest mountain peak). An estimated 11 million tonnes of plastics leak into aquatic ecosystems each year. Around 13 million tonnes of plastics accumulate into the soil annually. Health impact Plastics break down into microplastics and nanoplastics, which can enter the food chain and cause adverse health impacts. Microplastics have been found in human arteries, lungs, brains—and even in breast milk. Recycling alone is not enough It is estimated that only 21 per cent of plastic today is economically recyclable, meaning that the value of the recycled material is high enough to cover the cost of collecting, sorting, and processing it. Only 9 per cent of all plastics produced are actually being recycled globally. A circular economy for plastics as a way forward A comprehensive circular economy approach could reduce the volume of plastics entering our ocean by over 80 per cent and save governments US$70 billion between 2021-2040. Celebrations in India The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched a nationwide mass mobilisation campaign ‘One Nation, One Mission: End Plastic Pollution’, in the run up to World Environment Day 2025. This campaign highlights India’s unwavering commitment to environmental protection and sustainability, aligned with India’s flagship initiative—Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment). Source : United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)