Companies that Produce the Most Plastic Waste Around the World

Special Report

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Published: February 1, 2024 11:31 am

New Jersey’s plastic ban drew headlines recently after a study questioned its effectiveness. While the single-use bag ban lowered bag volume use, it increased consumption of alternative plastics, which are not recycled, according to Freedonia Custom Research. Indeed, despite worldwide attempts to reduce single-use plastics through consumer awareness, corporate efforts, and regulation, the opposite was true in 2021 compared to 2019.

In fact, one of the key findings of the Plastic Waste Makers Index 2023 report, published this year by the Minderoo Foundation, an Australia-based philanthropy, 6 million more metric tons of plastic waste was generated in 2021 compared to 2019 — almost entirely made from fossil fuel-based new plastic polymers. What’s more, greenhouse gas emissions from single-use plastics in 2021 were equivalent to about 450 MNT of carbon dioxide, or, according to the report, more than the total GHG emissions of the United Kingdom. (These are the American cities with the most contaminated water.)

Within the industry, only 2% of single-use plastic came from recycled waste, though two companies are noted as making the strongest commitment. Far Eastern New Century and Indorama Ventures, which are among the companies producing most plastic waste, are also producing on par recycled polymers at scale. (Also see: These are the Top Carbon Dioxide Producing Cities on Earth.)

The report notes that “the top 20 list of petrochemical companies producing virgin polymers bound for single-use plastic remains effectively unchanged.” Here, 24/7 Wall St. is listing the top 50 companies that produce the most plastic waste based on the Plastic Waste Makers Index 2023 report. Among the top 10 producers are three U.S. companies and two Chinese companies. Of the 139 MNT of single-use plastic waste generated in 2021, the top 10 companies generated about 31% and the 50 companies on the list generated 62%.

The 50 companies on the list are ranked on the plastic waste generated in 2021, measured in millions of tons. We added cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas emissions measured in million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This measure considers impacts at each stage of a plastic product’s lifecycle, from the natural resources extracted to manufacturing and ultimately, disposal. The circularity score is the company’s improvement in its reuses of plastic resources.

Annual revenue figures came from a range of sources, including Yahoo! Finance and the company’s own sites. Revenue figures reported in foreign currency were converted to U.S. dollars using exchange rates as of Oct. 26, 2023.

50. Daelim Group

Source: Sablin / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.4 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 1.4 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: N/A
Country: South Korea
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 7,319.0 billion KRW (est. $5.4 billion)

49. Ningxia Baofeng Energy Group

Source: curtoicurto / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.5 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 4.2 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: E
Country: China
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 28.4 billion CNY (est. $4.0 billion)

48. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation

Source: curtoicurto / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.5 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 1.4 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: E
Country: India
Annual revenue, FY 2023: 6,848.3 billion INR (est. $82.2 billion)

47. MOL Group

Source: josefkubes / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.5 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 1.5 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D-
Country: Hungary
Annual revenue, FY 2022: $26.3 billion

46. Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corporation

Source: artisteer / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.5 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 2.1 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: Taiwan
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 379.9 billion TWD (est. $11.8 billion)

45. SK Innovation Co

Source: Lisovskaya / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.5 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 1.7 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D-
Country: South Korea
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 78,060.0 billion KRW (est. $57.8 billion)

44. Nan Ya Plastics Corporation

Source: JamesBrey / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.6 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 2.5 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: N/A
Country: Taiwan
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 355.2 billion TWD (est. $11.0 billion)

43. Repsol

Source: robwilson39 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.6 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 1.7 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: C-
Country: Spain
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 75.2 billion EUR (est. $79.7 billion)

42. Sasol

Sasol building, Sandton, South... by flowcomm

Sasol building, Sandton, South... (CC BY 2.0) by flowcomm

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.6 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 1.9 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D-
Country: South Africa
Annual revenue, FY 2023: 289.7 billion ZAR (est. $16.3 billion)

41. Westlake Corporation

Source: Sablin / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.6 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 1.7 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: USA
Annual revenue, FY 2022: $15.8 billion

40. JBF Industries

Source: DorSteffen / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.6 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 3.0 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: N/A
Country: India
Annual revenue, FY 2023: 11.0 billion INR (est. $.1 billion)

39. GAIL India

Source: pidjoe / Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.7 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 2.1 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D-
Country: India
Annual revenue, FY 2023: 1,456.7 billion INR (est. $17.5 billion)

38. Mitsui & Co.

Source: RUBEN RAMOS / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.7 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 2.7 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: Japan
Annual revenue, FY 2023: 14,306.4 billion JPY (est. $95.9 billion)

37. Yanchang Group

Source: lindsay_imagery / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.7 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 5.3 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: E
Country: Hong Kong
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 29.9 billion HKD (est. $3.9 billion)

36. ENI

Source: naumoid / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.8 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 2.6 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: Italy
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 133.4 billion EUR (est. $141.4 billion)

35. Indian Oil Corporation

Source: SOMNATH MAHATA / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.8 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 2.3 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D-
Country: India
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 8,417.6 billion INR (est. $101.0 billion)

34. Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

Source: Riza Azhari / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.8 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 2.7 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: Japan
Annual revenue, FY 2023: 4,634.5 billion JPY (est. $31.1 billion)

33. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company

Source: AscentXmedia / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.8 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 2.8 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: UAE
Annual revenue, FY 2022: $2.7 billion

32. Chevron Corporation

Source: MattGush / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.9 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 2.8 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: USA
Annual revenue, FY 2022: $235.7 billion

31. China Coal

Source: Wang Meng / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.9 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 8.0 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: E
Country: China
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 220.6 billion HKD (est. $28.7 billion)

30. Sumitomo Chemical

Source: alexeynovikov / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.9 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 3.0 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D-
Country: Japan
Annual revenue, FY 2023: 2,895.3 billion JPY (est. $19.4 billion)

29. Phillips 66

Source: StockPhotoAstur / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 0.9 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 2.9 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: USA
Annual revenue, FY 2022: $170.0 billion

28. LG Chem

Source: Eloi_Omella / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.0 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 3.2 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: South Korea
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 51,864.9 billion KRW (est. $38.4 billion)

27. Hanwha Chemical

Source: Robert PleÅ¡ko / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.0 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 3.2 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: South Korea
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 13,653.0 billion KRW (est. $10.1 billion)

26. Zhejiang Hengyi Group

Source: Larina Marina / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.0 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 4.9 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: E
Country: China
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 152.1 billion CNY (est. $21.3 billion)

25. Nova Chemicals Corporation

Source: BWFolsom / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.1 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 3.0 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: Canada
Annual revenue, FY 2022: $4.5 billion

24. Siam Cement Group

Source: China Photos / Stringer / Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.2 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 4.0 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: Thailand
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 569.6 billion THB (est. $15.9 billion)

23. Zhejiang Wankai New Materials Co

Source: China Photos / Stringer / Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.4 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 6.7 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: E
Country: China
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 19.4 billion CNY (est. $2.7 billion)

22. PTT PCL

Source: Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.5 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 4.9 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: Thailand
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 3,367.2 billion THB (est. $94.3 billion)

21. Far Eastern New Century

Source: luoman / E+ via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.5 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 8.0 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: B-
Country: Taiwan
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 263.9 billion TWD (est. $8.2 billion)

20. China Energy Investment Group

Source: Kameleon007 / Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.5 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 14.8 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: E
Country: China
Annual revenue, FY 2021: 691.0 billion CNY (est. $96.7 billion)

19. China Resources Chemical

Source: Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.6 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 7.4 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: E
Country: China
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 17.3 billion CNY (est. $2.4 billion)

18. Jiangsu Hailun Petrochemical

Source: TheShihan / Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.6 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 7.6 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: E
Country: China
Annual revenue, FY N/A: N/A

17. Rongsheng Group

Source: Romolo Tavani / Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.7 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 6.9 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: E
Country: China
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 289.1 billion CNY (est. $40.5 billion)

16. SIBUR

Source: Supersmario / iStock via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.8 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 5.9 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: Russia
Annual revenue, FY 2021: 731.0 billion RUB (est. $8.0 billion)

15. Formosa Plastics Corp

Source: Photo_Concepts / Image Source via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.8 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 5.4 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D-
Country: Taiwan
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 251.6 billion TWD (est. $7.8 billion)

14. Lotte Chemical

Source: Rose676 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 1.8 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 6.7 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: South Korea
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 22,276.1 billion KRW (est. $16.5 billion)

13. TotalEnergies

Source: mtcurado / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 2.1 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 7.2 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: France
Annual revenue, FY 2022: $263.3 billion

12. Borealis

Source: PeskyMonkey / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 2.2 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 7.2 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: C-
Country: Austria
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 12.2 billion EUR (est. $13.0 billion)

11. Braskem

Source: David Silverman / Staff / Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 2.6 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 7.1 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: C-
Country: Brazil
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 96.5 billion BRL (est. $19.3 billion)

10. Alpek SA de CV

Source: andresr / E+ via Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 2.8 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 12.6 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: C-
Country: Mexico
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 212.4 billion MXN (est. $11.7 billion)

9. INEOS

Source: SolStock / Getty Images

Single-use plastic waste generated, 2021: 2.8 million tons
GHG emissions for single-use plastics, 2021: 9.3 million tons of CO2e
Circularity score: D
Country: United Kingdom
Annual revenue, FY 2022: 20.9 billion EUR (est. $22.2 billion)

8. Reliance Industries