World Environment Day: Unite to beat plastic pollution
On 5 June 2025, millions around the globe will mark World Environment
Day [https://www.un.org/en/observances/environment-day], a spotlight
by the United Nations’ platform for raising awareness and driving
action on urgent environmental issues. This year’s theme, hosted by
the South Korea, is ‘Beat plastic pollution’, calling attention to
the impacts of plastic pollution and how we can refuse, reduce, reuse,
recycle, and rethink plastic usage.

Plastic pollution remains a major environmental threat. Over 400
million tonnes
[https://web.archive.org/web/20230626164842/https:/www.unep.org/resources/report/drowning-plastics-marine-litter-and-plastic-waste-vital-graphics]
of plastic are produced annually, with less than 10% recycled. An
estimated 11 million tonnes
[https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/about/theme-host] leak into
aquatic ecosystems each year, harming over 800 marine species and
entering our food, water, and air. This year’s campaign urges
individuals, businesses, and governments to rethink plastic use and
adopt sustainable alternatives. Watch this 1-minute video
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNUmqS_DNFk] to get an idea about the
changing needs of plastic. 

Open data can definitely help to tackle environmental challenges.
On data.europa.eu [https://data.europa.eu/en], users can for example,
explore datasets on waste management
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets?locale=en&query=waste+management&page=1], marine
pollution
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets?locale=en&query=marine+pollution&page=1], land
use
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets?locale=en&query=land+use&page=1],
and climate resilience
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets?locale=en&query=climate+resilience&page=1].
These resources support researchers, policymakers, and citizens in
understanding the scale of environmental degradation and identifying
data-driven solutions. Datasets on plastic waste generation
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets?locale=en&query=plastic+waste+generation&page=1]
across EU countries can help track progress and inform circular
economy strategies.

Everyone can take part in World Environment Day by learning, sharing,
and acting. Visit the official UN page
[https://www.un.org/en/observances/environment-day] to explore
initiatives or navigate around our open data portal
[https://data.europa.eu/en], and find out how you can contribute to a
cleaner, greener planet.

For more news and events, follow us on X/Twitter
[https://twitter.com/EU_opendata] and LinkedIn
[https://www.linkedin.com/company/publications-office-of-the-european-union/],
or subscribe to our newsletter
[https://data.europa.eu/en/newsletter]. You can also connect with
other users through our collaboration channel
[https://data.europa.eu/dashboard/en/community/collaboration-channel].

Publication Date/Time
2025-06-05T08:00:00+00:00
Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic is dumped
into our oceans