This report presents the findings of the EIA’s Ocean team on available plastic waste export data to give the most comprehensive picture to date of the world’s mounting plastic waste trade problem. Presently, the precise contribution of the plastic waste trade business to global plastic pollution is unknown, but it is clearly significant based on discrepancies between the sheer scale of the plastic waste trade and the ability of importing countries to deal with the waste responsibly. This report suggests that the plastic waste crisis can only be solved through a holistic strategy that emphasizes upstream solutions to reduce the production and consumption of virgin plastic, alongside a ban on plastic waste exports.