Plastic Footprint

There is no universally established legal definition of plastic footprint.

The term can generally be interpreted through two different approaches:

1. Total Plastic Footprint

Under a broader approach, plastic footprint refers to the total quantity of plastic associated with a given product, company, activity, or country, regardless of its end-of-life destination or waste management pathway.

This approach recognizes that plastic can generate impacts on the environment, climate, and human health throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction and production to consumption and end-of-life management. Therefore, the footprint is not limited to the amount of plastic that leaks into the environment but considers the overall quantity of plastic involved.

Ogyre adopts this approach, considering the total quantity of plastic and its overall impact, regardless of whether that plastic is properly managed or leaks into the environment.

2. Leakage-based Plastic Footprint

Under a more specific approach, consistent with the methodology developed by the Plastic Footprint Network (PFN), plastic footprint refers to the assessment of plastic leakage associated with a given product, company, activity, or country, and its potential impacts on the environment and human health.

Rather than focusing on the total quantity of plastic used or consumed, this approach examines how plastic is lost from managed systems throughout its life cycle, how much is ultimately released into the natural environment, and the resulting impacts.