Plastic

We live in a world full of plastic. Plastics have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. We are just beginning to grasp the true extent of the plastic deluge.
Below, you will find all our articles, publications, and thematic focuses on plastic.

See the topic page Plastic

Articles

Verschieden Mehrweggläser in denen Lebensmittel wie Müsli und Bohnen gelagert werden.

Why we should be taking the plastic crisis seriously – and how we can find ways out of it

Published: 17 June 2024

Commentary

Based on current trends, a massive increase in plastic production is expected, even though it is already clear that the planet is awash with plastic litter. In this situation, “business as usual” is not an option.

Kristin Funke, Annette Kraus

Illustration: Ein rosafarbener Waschmittelbehälter und eine blaue Einkaufstasche sind überlappend dargestellt.

dossiers

Unpacked! Plastic, Waste & Me

Published: 27 May 2021

Publication

Plastic Atlas

Published: 21 October 2019

Dossier

The Plastic Atlas - find all infographics, videos and selected contributions in our online dossier.

Plastic

Published: 28 August 2019

Dossier

Unveil the hidden impact of ubiquitous plastic – from infiltrating our food and water to pervading our everyday items. Our plastics dossier uncovers the responsible parties, effects on humans and nature, and essential solutions for reversing the plastic crisis.

Publications

Combatting Global Plastic Pollution

Published: 20 April 2026

Policy Paper

By 2025, more than 12 billion tonnes of plastic had been produced globally – and plastic pollution is not gender neutral. Our publication Combatting Global Plastic Pollution presents feminist perspectives for a gender-just approach to the plastic crisis.

Birte Rodenberg

Ocean Atlas

Published: 17 November 2025

Atlas

Without the ocean there would be no life on our planet. But the future of this unique ecosystem faces a grave threat today. The Ocean Atlas 2017 delivers with its 18 contributions and 50 graphics the relevant facts and figures about the ocean.

Gelb-Grünes Titelbild von Exit plastic. Mit lila Schrift steht groß exit plastic auf grün-gelbem Hintergrund.

#exitplastic Now!

Published: 21 May 2024

Publication

The manifesto for social and structural changes to solve the plastics crisis. A civil society call to #exitplastic. Now!

EXIT PLASTIK Civil Society Alliance for Ways out of the Plastic Crisis

Plastics, gender and the environment

Published: 13 October 2021

Study

Findings of a literature study on the lifecycle of plastics and its impacts on women and men, from production to litter.

Ways out of the plastic crisis:

Published: 24 June 2021

Demand paper

Stop flooding the world with plastic! For the first time in Germany, major civil society actors have come together in an alliance to resolve the plastics crisis and have formulated 15 demands for the German government to act on.

Unpacked!

Published: 6 May 2021

Book

Specifically developed and designed for a young international audience, the digital book "Unpacked! Plastic, Waste, & Me" answers 70 questions about plastic in colorful infographics and six true stories. Book designer and author Gesine Grotrian and a team of experts from the Heinrich Böll Foundation together with an advisory board of young people from all over the world have created an exciting non-fiction book for young people aged 12 and over.