What are we talking about when we talk about plastic?
Parece un juego de palabras, pero no lo es. Es una invitación a mirar más allá del material y a cuestionarnos lo que sabemos —y lo que no— de él: cómo circula, quién lo pone en movimiento, qué decisiones lo perpetúan y qué prácticas lo invisibilizan. Porque mientras falten datos, el plástico seguirá resultando inevitable. Y solo cuando aportemos información —y acción— dejará de ser un simple elemento para revelarse como lo que realmente es: un sistema. Uno que podemos cambiar entre todos.
In recent years, plastic has become one of the most visible symbols of environmental impact. Campaigns, regulations, public commitments and new solutions attempt to address a growing concern. Yet in many cases the spotlight falls only on what we can see: end-of-life waste. What gets overlooked is something far deeper and more structural: the lack of real data, traceability and transparency about how plastic is produced, used and managed at every stage of its life cycle. The question is not only how much plastic we use, but what we actually know about it in order to intervene.
A clear example comes from the UN Environment Programme (PNUMA): more than 60% of plastic waste collected in coastal clean-ups cannot be identified by origin. This not only complicates waste management; it also prevents us from knowing which sectors, materials or processes are causing the greatest impact.
The information gap is also present in business.
A KPMG report (Survey of Sustainability Reporting 2022) shows that while 79% of companies worldwide report environmental information, very few include specific metrics on plastic use or reduction. In fact, according to WWF, only 66% of ESG processes in Europe include any plastic-related indicator—and in many cases it is limited exclusively to end-of-life waste. The lesson is clear: the plastic footprint remains a blind spot.
In sectors such as food, logistics or retail, this lack of data is not only an environmental problem—it is also operational and reputational. It means losing efficiency along the value chain, risking regulatory penalties, and undermining the trust of customers and investors.
Waste scanning and recording for plastic traceability
The trap of incomplete indicators
Without verifiable data, it is impossible to separate impact from intention. Companies that commit to environmental action without plastic-specific metrics risk falling into unintentional greenwashing saying without proving. The cost is high, not only for credibility, but also for strategic decision-making, process optimisation, or compliance with new regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
“which requires traceable, verifiable data. Ambiguity has reached its limit.”
Universal Plastic: from opacity to actionable data
This is where Universal Plastic comes in: we activate science and technology systems that make plastic traceable, measurable and manageable.
Our approach is simple: if you want to change something, measure it first. That is why we help companies and organisations truly diagnose their plastic footprint through:
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Assign internal owners for plastic measurement at each stage.
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Choose suppliers who provide traceable data on the materials they use.
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Carry out a plastic-footprint diagnosis.
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Train the team to identify common blind spots
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Include plastic-specific indicators in environmental reports—beyond end-of-life waste.
For example, we have worked with purpose-driven brands that see science and technology as tools for social and environmental transformation.
Together with Nina Woof, Naeco Group and La Neoyorquina, we have organised collaborative clean-ups through our Become Blue programme in coastal environments where we not only collected waste, but measured every fragment to generate useful, traceable and comparable data. These exercises in citizen science and corporate culture have helped participating companies make the invisible visible and connect purpose with action—underpinned by technological tools that generate useful, comparable data aligned with the challenges of the blue economy.
On-the-ground intervention: beach litter removal
From calling out to action: how to start building transparency
If a company wants to move towards a real reduction in its plastic impact, the first step is asking the right questions. Some key actions include:
- Assign internal owners for plastic measurement at each stage.
- Choose suppliers who provide traceable data on the materials they use.
- Carry out a plastic-footprint diagnosis.
- Train the team to identify common blind spots.
- Include plastic-specific indicators in environmental reports—beyond end-of-life waste.
Conclusion: clarity as a starting point
The fight against plastic neither starts nor ends on the beach. It starts earlier: in the data—what is measured, recorded and communicated rigorously.
While change is in the air, the root problem remains the lack of information. Hence the importance of developing new solutions, of course, but also of rethinking the system through a new lens. One that turns opacity into action
Do you also believe in data as a tool for transformation? Learn more about our work at Universal Plastic.
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