OCE-B.03.C - Plastic Use Reduction Progress
Does the company report progress on reducing its plastic use?
About the data
The WBA Ocean Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to halt and reverse nature loss in marine ecosystems, tracking how companies manage their impacts on ocean biodiversity, marine habitats, and the communities and workers dependent on healthy seas. The 2026 edition is WBA's first Ocean Benchmark, assessing 125 companies across key sectors dependent on oceans, including seafood, maritime transport, offshore wind energy, shipbuilding, port operations, apparel, and chemicals. Companies are assessed on 47 indicators across four measurement areas: governance, ecosystems and biodiversity, social responsibility, and core social indicators. The benchmark builds on WBA's Nature Benchmark and the former Seafood Stewardship Index, and its methodology was developed with input from more than 50 stakeholders including ocean communities, companies, scientists and civil society, with human rights and social impacts kept at its core alongside nature-specific concerns. More information can be found here.
Methodology
Since the 1980s, plastic pollution has increased tenfold (IPBES, 2019). Projections indicate
that global plastic production will double by 2050, with approximately 8 million tonnes entering
marine environments annually (UNEP, BRS Conventions and Minamata Convention, 2021). Notably,
around 50% of all plastic produced is designed for single-use purposes, contributing significantly to
this escalating issue. There is an urgent need for companies to adopt and disclose comprehensive
plastic management strategies to reduce their plastic use.
Research Guidance:
Companies must either:
Disclose progress against the targets in element (b); only accepted if the target is timebound and measurable as specified by the requirements in element (b), or:
If there is no target, the company must disclose three years in a row with continuous, absolute improvements on the topics assessed in element (a).
Aligned with element (a) this is unmet if the progress:
Are based on financial metrics (e.g. sales)
Only include single product lines, or only regarding part of its operations (e.g. specific sites)
that global plastic production will double by 2050, with approximately 8 million tonnes entering
marine environments annually (UNEP, BRS Conventions and Minamata Convention, 2021). Notably,
around 50% of all plastic produced is designed for single-use purposes, contributing significantly to
this escalating issue. There is an urgent need for companies to adopt and disclose comprehensive
plastic management strategies to reduce their plastic use.
Research Guidance:
Companies must either:
Disclose progress against the targets in element (b); only accepted if the target is timebound and measurable as specified by the requirements in element (b), or:
If there is no target, the company must disclose three years in a row with continuous, absolute improvements on the topics assessed in element (a).
Aligned with element (a) this is unmet if the progress:
Are based on financial metrics (e.g. sales)
Only include single product lines, or only regarding part of its operations (e.g. specific sites)
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report