Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Plastic waste and recycling claims · United Kingdom · 2019–2023

Basel plastic waste rules took effect in 2021; UK waste exports to Türkiye rose again in 2023

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 3 none on record · 1 insufficient · 1 not measured See the gaps

The 2019 Basel plastic waste amendments, in force since January 2021, put mixed plastic waste under prior consent. UK exports to Türkiye reached 141 million kg in 2023, up from 88 million kg in 2022.

What?
Basel amendments put mixed plastic waste under prior consent; UK exports of plastic waste to Türkiye continued Basel Convention Secretariat
Where?
From the United Kingdom to Türkiye The Ecologist
When?
Adopted 2019; in force 2021; export figures 2020–2023 Basel Convention Secretariat
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Prior informed consent under the Basel Convention for listed plastic waste; export volumes from UN Comtrade data Basel Action Network
5 of 6 questions answered from the record · open: who

What happened

The record, in order.

The Basel Convention plastic waste amendments were adopted at COP-14 (29 April–10 May 2019) and entered into force on 1 January 2021, requiring prior consent for mixed plastic waste while exempting plastic that is almost free of contamination and destined for environmentally sound recycling.

Greenpeace UK reported in 2021 that 209,642 tonnes of UK plastic waste went to Türkiye in 2020, almost 40% of UK plastic waste exports.

The Basel Action Network, citing UN Comtrade data, reported UK exports to Türkiye of 141 million kg in 2023, against 88 million kg in 2022.

Recoup reported that more than 25% of England's 600,000-plus tonnes of plastic waste exports went to Türkiye in 2023.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: the conditions for later lifting the non-OECD ban.
    • None on record The sources reviewed do not say whether UK exports to Türkiye complied with the prior consent rule.
    • None on record The sources reviewed do not name who gains from the UK-to-Türkiye trade.
    • None on record The Recoup figure has no source URL in the reviewed material.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

    Communities and civil society

    Terms used on this page

    Institutions

    OECD complaint
    A complaint filed with a government's National Contact Point under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; the process is mediation, not a court.
    Similar cases
    Plastic waste and recycling claims · Türkiye · 2017–2024
    Turkey's plastic bag fee and advertising penalties on green claims
    Same type: Plastic waste and recycling claimsSame countryHarm to nature not measured
    Plastic waste and recycling claims · Tanker / shipping · Türkiye · 2016–2026
    Plastic waste imports into Türkiye (Adana)
    Same type: Plastic waste and recycling claimsSame country
    Plastic waste and recycling claims · Water use · India · 2019–2026
    Alliance to End Plastic Waste and Renew Oceans (Ganges)
    Same type: Plastic waste and recycling claimsSame regionHarm to nature not measured
    Plastic waste and recycling claims · Chemical pollution · Switzerland · 2024–2026
    UN plastics treaty negotiations (INC-5, Geneva, Nairobi, Bangkok)
    Same type: Plastic waste and recycling claimsSame regionHarm to nature not measured
    Plastic waste and recycling claims · Chemical pollution · Carbon credits · United States · 2018
    Coca-Cola plastic pledges and brand audits
    Same type: Plastic waste and recycling claimsSame regionHarm to nature not measured
    Plastic waste and recycling claims · Global · 2017–2025
    Plastic Bank and rePurpose collector schemes
    Same type: Plastic waste and recycling claimsSame regionHarm to nature not measured