Plastic and portfolios: Building a more holistic and sustainable economy

How companies can cut plastic pollution

Images of contaminated oceans and stricken marine life have shocked consumers, writes Kate Elliot, senior ethical researcher at Rathbone Greenbank Investments.

In response, a growing number of government and business initiatives are aiming to encourage a shift away from linear 'take-make-dispose' business models towards more circular examples of production and consumption. But what role can investors play? Plastic is a problem that will impact our environment for generations. Research by the journal Science Advances in July 2017 calculated that, of the 8.3 billion tonnes of synthetic plastic produced from the 1950s to 2015, around 6.3 billion tonnes of highly-durable plastic waste had been generated.  Four ways investors can help fight plast...