Fig. 2

Type of scientific evidence, tools and principles in the preparatory work underpinning six key policy initiatives targeting plastic pollution. Arrows indicate which types have been applied in the preparatory work of each of the policy initiative(s). The size of the circles and percentages reflect the quantity of the investigated policy initiatives that apply each type of scientific evidence/tools/principles (bigger circle = greater application). The categories can overlap, e.g., many of the reports conducted by scientific experts or consultancy organisations are based on scientific studies and/or monitoring data. Abbreviations: EU: European Union