The social and environmental costs of plastic pollution total more than $100bn/yr globally, with the majority of that relating to human health harms, according to a study from Australian nonprofit Minderoo Foundation.
Minderoo also calculated that corporate liabilities from plastic pollution in the near-term until 2030 could exceed $20bn.
The study highlights harmful plastic additives which include flame-retardants, phthalates, and bisphenols, micro- and nano-plastics (MNP) and environmental damage as particular areas of concern.
Just last month, the United Nation's Stockholm Convention voted to place two plastic additives on a list of toxic chemicals that should be phased out: UV-328 and dechlorane plus.
Minderoo's study also extrapolated from animal studies to find MNP could cost $10bn/yr in gastrointestinal tract disorders.
Plastics industry group the American Chemistry Council (ACC) pushed back on the study, saying it was "detached from reality".
"It's important that we better understand the risks of a world without plastics and move beyond the rhetoric," Vice President of Plastics Joshua Baca said. "The Minderoo Foundation's report was designed to generate headlines; we disagree with its characterizations and claims about our industry."
The ACC also claimed that the US's plastic manufacturers are focused on creating a circular economy.
Other participants who provided analysis in the study included legal firm Clyde & Co and liability risk assessment company Praedicat.
