Holistic Sustainability: Limiting Plastic Pollution through Smart Investment Choices

Executive Summary

• Plastic pollution has evolved into both environmental and financial liability, with escalating regulatory pressure, biodiversity loss, and growing evidence of human health impacts. This makes plastic management an important factor that investors must closely examine when considering long-term performance and risk exposure.
• For investors, plastic pollution represents a material and quantifiable financial risk, as global inaction could generate cumulative costs of up to USD 281 trillion by 2040. By contrast, prevention measures are far more cost-effective, creating a substantial economic advantage for investors who back early moving companies committed to reducing plastic use and innovating sustainable alternatives.
• The EU Plastics Strategy and regulatory tools, such as the EU Taxonomy and the European Green Bond Standard, establish a clear framework that rewards corporate innovation and penalizes unsustainable practices. These policies provide investors with structured guidance and transparent criteria for identifying issuers making credible contributions to circularity and pollution prevention.
• Green Bonds aligned with ICMA Principles provide a credible pathway for investors to finance projects that reduce plastic production, enhance recycling, and prevent environmental pollution. The Use of Proceeds criteria and rigorous reporting requirements enhance investor confidence that their capital is driving measurable environmental and societal outcomes.
• Strategic investor leadership shapes future markets, allocating capital toward circular solutions and accountable issuers, helps mitigate risks, drive growth opportunities, and advance sustainable economies.

Rising environmental and health costs associated with plastic pollution are creating systemic risks that demand immediate action. At Franklin Templeton Fixed Income, by integrating sustainability into investment decisions, we aim to protect long-term value and seize opportunities in the shift to a circular economy.

As the costs of plastic pollution become clearer, the need for investor leadership intensifies. We understand that neglecting these risks could result in trillions of dollars in costs, regulatory upheaval, and erosion of long-term value. Therefore, we strategically allocate capital to issuers that are reducing plastic use, strengthening recycling, and innovating low-impact materials. This positions us ahead of structural market changes.

Our leadership today helps to shape the future markets while supporting well-being of ecosystems, communities, and future generations. Through investments into Green Bonds, aligned with ICMA Principles and EU regulations, we ensure our outcomes are transparent and credible. These investments not only mitigate financial risk but also deliver measurable environmental outcomes and socio-economic benefits that support long-term market resilience.