TORONTO — A new study has revealed that just 20 companies account for more than 50 per cent of all single-use plastic in the world, while another 20 financial institutions are enabling these companies.

The Plastic Waste Makers Index, released on Wednesday from the Australia-based Minderoo Foundation, found that just 20 polymer producers accounted for 57.3 million tonnes of single-use plastic waste in 2019.

The report states that environmentalists have previously placed the blame for plastic waste on packaged goods companies such as PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, but this report now points the finger at the small group of polymer manufacturers.

“Tracing the root causes of the plastic waste crisis empowers us to help solve it,” Former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore said in a news release. “The trajectories of the climate crisis and the plastic waste crisis are strikingly similar and increasingly intertwined.”

Overall, the U.S.-based ExxonMobil was the worst producer, accounting for 5.9 million tonnes of single-use plastic waste in 2019., followed by Dow at 5.6 million tonnes and the Chinese company Sinopec at 5.3 million tonnes.

The Calgary-based Nova Chemicals Corporation, was the worst Canadian company, coming in at number 21 with an estimated 1.3 million tonnes of single-use plastic waste in 2019.

Read the full story posted in the Climate and Environment segment on CTV News.