The plastic waste problem, especially related to single-use plastic, has rapidly become one of the key environmental concerns globally. Particularly concerning is the plastic waste in oceans and other water bodies. At the same time, microplastics have become a recognised health concern.

INTOSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing (WGEA) adopted plastic waste as one of the focus areas in 2020-2022. The project was led by SAI India, and supported by a group of SAIs, the WGEA Steering Committee as well as the other project leaders working with climate finance (SAI USA), sustainable transport (SAIs of Indonesia, China, and Thailand), as well as policy coherence and multi-stakeholder engagement (SAI Canada and SAI Finland).

The WGEA report provides a thorough study on the topic with practical examples on how to audit plastic waste. The publication also contributes to the follow-up and review of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and particularly Goal 12 on sustainable consumption and production.

The report is available on the WGEA website: https://wgea.org/media/k2abct3h/wgea-wp2_plasticwaste_2022.pdf