Sources & evidence base.

Peer-reviewed LCA quantifying plastic mass per cosmetic container across PE, PET and PP formats — a primary basis for our bottle, cap and pump weights.

Compares HDPE bottle, refill pouch and bulk dispenser per litre of shampoo. Source for our refill-vs-bottle savings figures.

Component-level breakdown of a shampoo container — bottle wall, cap, label and adhesive — used to validate our material splits.

Industrial study of recycled HDPE bottle production with measured wall thicknesses and unit weights.

UK-level disposal volume for toothpaste tubes, used to contextualise per-tube plastic mass.

Recyclability and material composition of mono-material HDPE tubes — basis for our recyclability percentages.

Industry case study confirming ~20 billion toothpaste tubes/year and the shift to mono-material HDPE.

EU technical reference for typical packaging-to-product ratios across personal-care formats.

Industry-wide benchmarks: virgin-plastic share, recycled content rates, and recyclability progress for FMCG personal-care signatories.

Pooled LCA evidence on PET bottle mass, recycled-content rates and end-of-life pathways — primary basis for our PET bottle weights.

UNEP-backed comparative LCA of PET, glass, aluminium and reusable bottles. Anchors our 'reusable bottle' alternative figures.

North American industry LCA with current PET bottle weights, recycled-content levels and production energy figures.

Comprehensive review of why multilayer film (snack bags, pouches, lidding film) is almost never recycled in practice — backs our low recyclability scores.

Quantifies the impact reduction when multilayer film is redesigned as mono-PE or mono-PP for kerbside recycling.

UNEP comparative LCA of disposable vs reusable nappies — material composition and per-unit plastic mass for disposable diapers.

Foundational government LCA quantifying plastic content (SAP, PE backsheet, PP topsheet) in standard disposable nappies.

Peer-reviewed comparison of pads, tampons (with/without applicators) and menstrual cups — backs our applicator and pad plastic weights.

Cradle-to-grave LCA of HDPE jugs vs refill pouches vs pods — direct source for our laundry-jug-vs-refill savings figure.

Cradle-to-grave LCA of five UK detergent formats per wash; finds the use stage dominates (>70%), which is why we treat packaging as the actionable share rather than the largest one.

UNEP LCA of plastic, paper, bagasse and reusable cups/cutlery — backs our foodservice plastic-per-use figures and the 'reusable beats compostable' claim above ~20 reuses.

Per-1000-meals LCA quantifying when compostable cutlery actually beats conventional plastic at end-of-life.

OECD authoritative figures on resin production energy intensity and water use — backs the per-gram coefficients in productionFootprint().

Industry-association reference for global resin production volumes, polymer mix and recycled-content shares used to weight our averages.

Official U.S. recycling-rate dataset by polymer (PET, HDPE, PP, film) used to ground our recyclability-percent estimates.

Landmark estimate of 4.8–12.7 million tonnes of plastic entering the ocean per year — frames the archive's pollution context.

Global mass-balance: of 8.3 Bt of virgin plastic ever produced, only ~9% has been recycled. Source for our recycled-content baselines.

Quantifies riverine plastic flux (1.15–2.41 Mt/yr) — used to contextualise per-item pollution numbers in our blurbs.

Official NOAA reference for marine plastic decomposition timelines — direct basis for our decomposition_years field.

Peer-reviewed evidence of microplastic shedding from PET/nylon pyramid teabags into the cup itself.

Latest signatory-level data on recyclable/reusable/compostable packaging and recycled-content targets across 1000+ FMCG brands.

Global review of single-use plastic policy and consumption — frames the archive's category list and 'avoidability' badges.

UK industry progress data on problem-plastic elimination, recycled-content uptake and on-pack recyclability labelling.

Shows how little of a coffee or butter product's footprint sits in the flexible wrapper compared with the contents — the basis for our 'the food usually beats the film' caveat on pouches.

Compares HDPE bottles, cartons and pouches for the same litre of milk, including distribution and losses — used for our milk and drink container weights.

Detailed inventory of bottle, cap and crate masses across common milk sizes — a primary source for our HDPE bottle gram figures.

Recent assessment of mono-material and recyclable flexible packaging routes, including what recycling actually recovers — informs our pouch recyclability ratings.

Break-even reuse counts for takeaway containers — the source for how many uses a reusable box needs before it beats the disposable one.

Compares concentrated and ready-to-use cleaning formats including their packaging — supports our concentrate and dilution-at-home alternatives.

Measures the packaging avoided when detergent is dispensed in-store into a returned container — the evidence behind our refill-station savings.

Quantifies plastic content and end-of-life fate of wet wipes, including fibre release — used for our wipes entries and their alternatives.

Compares plastic, paper, PLA and steel straws across several impact categories — the basis for our straw weights and the honest caveats about paper.

Non-European carrier-bag study showing how reuse counts and local waste systems change the answer — keeps our bag guidance global rather than EU-only.

Measures fibre counts shed per wash by fabric type — the reference for our synthetic-textile entries and laundry-bag advice.

Shows what mechanical recycling actually recovers from mixed household packaging — why our recyclability scores discount 'technically recyclable' claims.

Collected return rates across deposit and non-deposit systems — used in our local-disposal guidance for bottles and cans.

Country-level waste generation, collection and disposal data worldwide — the source for our non-European end-of-life assumptions.

Binding EU rules on recyclability, reuse targets, minimum recycled content and packaging minimisation — the legal backdrop for our EU disposal notes.