A silent export stream with global consequences
Research by the Plastic Soup Foundation shows that in 2021, the Netherlands was the largest EU exporter of plastic waste to countries outside the OECD. Despite European regulations designed to protect vulnerable countries, the flow of plastic between 2020 and 2021 has more than doubled.
A Global Player in Plastic Pollution
👉 Only the US and Japan exported more plastic to the Global South.
👉 Per capita, the Netherlands is even a world leader in shipping plastic waste to countries that cannot process it.
These countries often lack sufficient infrastructure to recycle the waste safely, causing it to end up in nature, rivers, or on bonfires — resulting in significant ecological and human damage.
Political and Media Response
This revelation received extensive attention in the press. Parliamentary questions were asked by VVD and GroenLinks, and the European Parliament is now advocating for a total ban on these exports.
Our Mission Continues
We will continue to increase the pressure on politicians to stop these unethical trade practices. It is time that countries like the Netherlands take their responsibility and no longer pass their waste problem on to poorer countries.