June 5th marks World Environment Day 2025. In line with this year’s theme – #BeatPlasticPollution – we explore how governments, civil society, and businesses like ours are responding to the plastic crisis. From full life-cycle strategies to local circular economy models, we examine the key UN initiatives – and share how we’re advocating for healthy soundscapes while reducing plastic use.

Read on to discover what this means and understand the work done by the UN in relation to World Environment Day, the commitments made and the steps being taken to protect our environment, and how businesses like ours contribute to the overarching Sustainable Development Goals.

What are “World Environment Days”?

First celebrated in 1973, World Environment Days are led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to engage a global audience and focus efforts on specific environmental challenges. According to the UN, over 150 countries contribute, and millions across the world are mobilised to empower governments, communities, businesses, and individuals to tackle pressing concerns, and to drive sustainable change [1].

The last three World Environment Days (WEDs) have covered a range of topics. Saudi Arabia 2024 highlighted the importance of land restoration, desertification, and strengthening drought resilience [2]. As part of the WED, the Saudi government announced greater support and funding for private and philanthropic organisations working on environmental issues.

Côte d’Ivoire 2023 centred around plastic pollution, coinciding with an historic UN resolution establishing an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, charged with developing a legally binding global instrument to end plastic pollution. At Côte d’Ivoire, the principles of a “whole of society approach” to the plastic crisis were stressed – something that also underscores this year’s WED [3].

Sweden 2022 honoured the 50th anniversary of the WEDs, communicating a broad message to protect our planet. Using the slogan “Only One Earth”, that year’s WED stressed the importance of restoring our home and understanding the miraculous circumstances that led to our emergence [4]. In accordance with this message, Sweden pledged to stop issuing new coal, oil, and natural gas licenses as part of their commitment [5].

What is the focus of the 2025 World Environment Day?

This year, the focus shifts once again to plastic pollution. Echoing Côte d’Ivoire 2023, Republic of Korea 2025 has the plastic crisis at the heart of its messaging. Held in Jeju Province, this year reinforces the theme of a whole of society approach, introducing a “full life-cycle plastic strategy” that aims to bring together elements from the government, civil society and industry to reconfigure our usage of plastics [6]. The intention is to reduce waste at source, expand recycling efforts, and take substantial steps towards transitioning to a circular economy – thus putting sustainability at the heart of worldwide development.

In Jeju Province, significant changes have been made to deliver on these goals. It is the only province in the Republic of Korea where household waste must be disposed of at designated recycling support centres [7]. Recycling rates are thus driven higher, and more waste is repurposed. Furthermore, Jeju is also the first province that has introduced a disposable cup deposit system, whereby a deposit is paid on drinks purchased in disposable cups, and refunded upon the cup’s return [8].

The intention of this year’s WED is to continue to put the plastic crisis front and centre in conversations regarding sustainability. The global commitment made in 2022 to create a global plastic pollution treaty will also be reinforced at Jeju, with the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee occurring from 5-14 August 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland [9].

Why plastics?

In his message for World Environment Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres outlined the rationale for the focus on plastics:

According to the WED website, 400 million tonnes of plastic waste was generated last year globally [11]. Furthermore, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development forecasts that, by 2060, plastic waste will triple to over one billion tonnes a year [12]. Overall, plastic production was responsible for more than 3 per cent of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, with plastic debris found in our oceans, rivers, along our mountain ranges, and in our food [13].

The presence of microplastics in our food and water is of growing concern, especially considering the unknown effects of microplastics on our health. According to the UNEP’s “Turning off the Tap” report, 22 per cent of plastic waste evades waste management systems, instead being burnt in pits, sitting in uncontrolled dumpsites, or seeping into territorial and aquatic environments [14]. The report estimates that the “social and environmental cost of plastic pollution ranges from between US$300 billion and US$600 billion”. An estimated 11 million tonnes of plastic waste leak into aquatic ecosystems each year, and the WED website references a study that estimates that a litre of bottled water contains around 240,000 microplastics [15].

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, reinforced Guterres’ concerns:

She continues:

Given these concerns, it is certain that changes need to be made. While the UN focuses on the global picture, it is important to understand what civil society, businesses and individuals can do to contribute to a more sustainable future. 

How can we make a difference?

The WED and UN Environment Programme websites have some useful outlines of how everyone can aid in the sustainability mission. The central theme of World Environment Day 2025 is to #BeatPlasticPollution.

The UNEP defines this campaign as follows:

Continuing to do the same will not be enough to satisfy our goals. To not do enough is to endanger our environments, our biodiversity, our health, and to do our planet a disservice. The commitments currently outlined by governments across the globe will only reduce the annual volume of plastic entering our oceans by ~7% by 2040 [19]. As such, there is more that can be done, and that includes at sub-national levels.

The UNEP centres on businesses and investors as central to the solution. They list potential steps that can be taken to alleviate plastic pollution, and offer bottom-up and grassroots avenues for involvement [20]. Some of their examples include:

• Ensuring 100% of plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable.

• Offering more affordable and sustainable alternatives to consumers.

• Disclosing information and increasing transparency around supply chains.

• Eliminating plastic packaging by embracing redesign, innovation, and new delivery models.

Sustainable Acoustics has the UN Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of our company. Already operating as an award-winning carbon neutral consultancy, we are committed to continuing to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and are keen to obtain environmental certifications that reflect this.

Regarding plastics, we commit to a plastic-free World Environment Day, where single-use plastics will be banned from our office. Looking forward, we intend to reduce our usage of single-use plastics wherever possible, and to continue to source our materials sustainably.

More broadly, we continue to lobby for more consideration around healthy soundscapes – sound is ubiquitous and should be a larger concern for sustainable development. While plastic pollution is a major scourge on our ecosystems, holistic planning is required for all aspects of development to ensure that all stakeholders are taken into account. In the future, we hope that acoustics is placed at the heart of global sustainability efforts, to reflect its importance in global health and wellbeing.