Supplementary written evidence submitted by Dr Allison Lindner, Chair of the Waste Law Research Group, Lecturer in Law, UCL Faculty of Laws (PWC0048)
18th July 2025
Rt. Hon. Alistair Carmichael MP
Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
By email
Dear Rt Hon. Alistair Carmichael MP,
Further to the oral evidence session on 8th July, please find below links to the papers I referred to in Q36 regarding the cost of inaction on plastics.
Cordier M, Uehara T, Jorgensen B and Baztan J. (2024) Reducing plastic production : Economic loss or environmental gain? Cambridge Prisms: Plastics, 2, e2, 1-16. Available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-prisms-plastics/article/reducing-plastic-production-economic-loss-or-environmental-gain/99BEE1E1A6C185B79CD2735B02C59AC6
United Nations Environment Programme. (2023) Turning off the Tap. How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy. Nairobi. Available at https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42277/Plastic_pollution.pdf?sequence=3 (see page xv and Section 1.4 in the first instance)
Cordier, M. Plastic Pollution: Why doing nothing will cost us far more than taking action. The Conversation, 26 November 2024. Available at
The paper below speaks of marine litter in general and has a regional focus, but is aligned with the others above.
McIlgorm A, Raubenheimer K, McIlgorm D.E. and Nichols R. (2022) The cost of marine litter damage to the global marine economy: Insights from the Asia-Pacific into prevention and the cost of inaction. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 174, 113167, 1-10. Available at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X21012017
Yours sincerely,
Allison Lindner