NGO retracts ‘waste colonialism’ report blaming Asian countries for plastic pollution

Ocean Conservancy apologises for false narrative' of 2015 study that put blame for bulk of world's plastic waste on five Asian states

An environmental watchdog has retracted an influential report that blamed five Asian countries for the majority of plastic pollution in the ocean.

The report, Stemming the Tide, from the US-based environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy, also included incineration and waste-to-energy as solutions" to the plastics crisis. Published in 2015, it was decried as waste colonialism" by hundreds of environmental, health and social justice groups across Asia.