Only 9% of all the plastic waste that has ever been produced has been recycled

80% of global plastic waste in our oceans comes from Asia

Intensive processing and high cost of current recycling means virgin plastics are often cheaper 

Increasingly complex and hybrid plastic products are impossible to separate and recycle

Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in the world. The only substance we use more of is water

Concrete use has grown exponentially. In just 3 years, China consumed more concrete than the US did in the entire 20th century

Concrete production accounts for 8% of global CO2 emissions, more than 3x the emissions from the aviation industry

Raw materials for concrete are shipped thousands of miles across the globe, further increasing its environmental impact and carbon footprint

There are thousands of different types of plastics, but only a fraction can currently be recycled across the world

Collection, sorting, processing and transportation costs render most existing recycling solutions financially unviable

Short-term focus- huge carbon emissions and energy consumption to turn single-use plastic into yet more single-use plastic

Passing the buck - plastic waste is often shipped to developing nations, causing disproportionate social and environmental harm to those regions