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

The problem is that plastic is not biodegradable.³. It can remain in the environment for centuries before becoming harmless. It could even that they never disappear⁴ in nature, so all the plastic released into the environment is still there. Because plastic degrades so slowly, it accumulates in the environment, increasing pressure on the environment. As production increases, this pollution could triple by 2040⁵ !

Or disappear, pieces of plastic in the environment fragment⁶ under the effect of UV rays, mechanical stress and the action of micro-organisms. The speed of fragmentation depends on the chemical composition of the plastic and the environment in which it is found. In a cold environment, a plastic will break down more slowly than in a warm environment. In smaller forms (microplastics⁷), they are more easily ingested by animals and can be transported over thousands of kilometres.

 Plastic pollution has various sources⁸, These include littering, which is the deliberate or unintentional dumping of rubbish in public spaces or in the countryside. The most common types of litter found in nature are plastic: PET bottles, packaging, cigarette butts, etc. In Switzerland, it is estimated that littering is responsible for releasing 2,700 tonnes of plastic into the environment.⁹.

Do your bit to help combat plastic pollution by adopting the right behaviour:

• Reduce the use of plastic packaging and ensure that it is recycled or disposed of correctly.
• When hiking, take a bag for your rubbish and use reusable containers and a water bottle rather than disposable bottles.
• In mountain restaurants and shops, encourage the abandonment of single-use plastics in favour of sustainable alternatives.

Together, let's keep our mountains beautiful and plastic-free.

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.