As per Reuters, single-use plastic materials are one of the world's most pressing environmental issues, as a lot of it reaches landfills or our waterways, destroying ecosystems and contributing to the release of greenhouse gas emissions.

Experts at Australia's Minderoo Foundation warned that plastic manufacturing from fresh fossil sources is not yet at its peak and recycling efforts are just a mere second thought, which means that we'll have to fight the issue for some time before it will get any better.

"Make no mistake, the plastic waste crisis is going to get significantly worse before we see an absolute year-on-year decline in virgin single-use plastic consumption," they added.

Exxon Mobil and Sinopec are two of the most polluting companies in this field, as they are some of the main plastic producers worldwide, with the latter planning facilities with 5 million tons of capacity per year by 2027.

Chinese company Sinopec developed its own biodegradable plastic materials and Chinese officials last year said that a five-year plan is happening to reduce the production and use of single-use plastic and to end some products altogether.

Experts say that in 2021 alone there were some 137 million tons of plastic materials manufactured from virgin fossil sources and they expect production to increase by 17 million tons by 2027.