Plastic production has skyrocketed over the past decades, rising from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 450 million in 2020¹. According to UNEP (the United Nations Environment Programme), 19 to 23 million tonnes of plastic² are released into the environment every year.

The problem is that plastic is not a biodegradable material³. It can remain in the environment for centuries before becoming harmless. It might even be the case that it never fully disappears⁴, meaning that all the plastic ever released into the environment is still there. Because of its extremely slow degradation, plastic accumulates in nature, increasing environmental pressure. With growing production, this pollution could triple by 2040⁵!

Instead of disappearing, plastic fragments present in the environment break down⁶ under the effect of UV rays, mechanical stress, and the action of microorganisms. The rate of fragmentation depends on the chemical composition of the plastic and the environment in which it is found. In a cold environment, plastic decomposes more slowly than in a warm one. In smaller forms (microplastics⁷), they are more easily ingested by animals and can be transported over thousands of kilometers.

Plastic pollution has various sources⁸, including littering — the intentional or unintentional abandonment of waste in public spaces or nature. The most commonly found waste in nature is plastic: PET bottles, packaging, cigarette butts, etc. In Switzerland, it is estimated that littering practices are responsible for the release of 2,700 tonnes of plastic into the environment⁹.

To contribute to the fight against plastic pollution on your own scale, adopt the following good practices:

• Reduce your use of plastic packaging and make sure it is properly recycled or disposed of.
• When hiking, take a bag for your waste and choose reusable containers and a water bottle instead of disposable ones.
• In mountain restaurants and shops, encourage the shift away from single-use plastics in favor of sustainable alternatives.

Together, let’s keep our mountains beautiful and free of plastic.

1. Our World in Data. «Global Plastic Production with Projections. Accessed on 15 September 2025. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/global-plastic-production-projections?form=MG0AV3.
2. Environnent, U. N. «Plastic Pollution». 2 August 2022. https://www.unep.org/plastic-pollution.
3. Avio, Carlo Giacomo, Stefania Gorbi, and Francesco Regoli. «Plastics and Microplastics in the Oceans: From Emerging Pollutants to Emerged Threat». Marine Environmental Research 128 (July 2017): 2-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.05.012.
4. Napper, I E, and R C Thompson. Plastics and the Environment. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-112522-072642.
5. Napper, I E, and R C Thompson. Plastics and the Environment. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-112522-072642.
6. Napper, I E, and R C Thompson. Plastics and the Environment. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-112522-072642.
7. Summit Foundation - Microplastic bubble https://summit-foundation.org/bulle-wouh/
8. Napper, I E, and R C Thompson. Plastics and the Environment. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-112522-072642.
9. FOEN, Federal Office for the Environment. «Plastics in the environment». Accessed on 10 September 2025. https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/fr/home/themen/thema-abfall/abfallpolitik-und-massnahmen/kunststoffe-in-umwelt.html.