Plastic
Plastic

Plastic

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TL;DR

Plastic pollution is a global threat that has now passed an irreversible threshold. The vast majority of plastics produced (approximately 91%) are buried in landfills, incinerated, or left to pollute our natural environment. As a whole, the plastic industry emits more than 850 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually, mostly coming from production of virgin plastics.

What is plastic?

Plastic is everywhere. In fact, there the total mass of plastic in our world today is more than double that of all living mammals on the planet. But what is plastic?

In its most simple definition, plastic is a synthetic material made from polymers that can be molded into a shape. In fact, there might be products you are using right now that you don’t realize are made from plastic, but they are. Everything from chewing gum and tea bags to wet wipes and menstrual products contains plastic. That polyester shirt you just bought? It’s made from plastic. But by far, the most prevalent use of plastic is in packaging.

The seven primary types of plastic

Source:
Source: Plastics for Change

Bioplastic

There are technically three types of plastics that sit under this category: (1) petroleum-derived and biodegradable, (2) non-petroleum derived and biodegradable, and (3) non-petroleum derived and not biodegradable.

Source:
Source: FAO, 2021

Non-petroleum-based bioplastics are made (at least partially) from renewable resources like corn or sugar cane, but they cost more to make, can be chemically identical to petroleum-based plastics, and release methane in landfills.

  • Nearly half of all bioplastics produced are not biodegradable. Many are even chemically identical to petroleum-based plastics and pose the same threats.
  • If compostable, most bioplastics require controlled industrial settings, under very high heat, and will not break down in regular compost or landfills. These composting facilities are not common, and where they do exist will often not accept any bioplastics because they are impossible to tell apart from other types of plastic.
  • Some types of bioplastic can contaminate entire loads of plastic recycling, which will then end up in landfills.
  • Bioplastic production has the potential to direct agricultural land away from food production in an already food-stressed world or lead to increased deforestation to make way for the desired crops. In the case of deforestation, the increase in CO2 emissions from land-use change can outweigh the benefits of switching from a fossil fuel-based material.

Emissions

The plastics industry (from material sourcing to waste management) is responsible for 850 million tonnes of GHG emissions annually, and at the current pace could reach 1.34 billion tonnes by 2030. The majority of emissions come from the early stages of material sourcing (i.e. fossil fuel extraction) and resin production where every ton of plastic produced releases around 5 tons of CO2.

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The growth of fracking in the US has led to a boom in domestic plastic production, especially in disposable items like straws and bags. Turning natural gas into plastic requires a process called cracking, and these plants emitted over 63 million tonnes of GHG in 2020. In fact, the US plastic industry has been labeled “the new coal” as it was found to collectively emit over 210 million tonnes of GHG every year and is currently on track to exceed the emissions of the coal power industry by 2030.

Production

Since 1950, the production of plastics has exploded from 1.5 million tonnes to 367 million tonnes in 2020. At this pace, by 2050 we will have produced 26 billion metric tons of virgin plastic.

Source: Science, 2017
Source: Science, 2017

Novel entities boundary

In 2009, a group of researchers defined what a “safe operating space” for humanity looked like. They determined there are nine planetary boundaries that keep us within this space. At the time, two of the boundaries were not able to be quantified—atmospheric pollution and chemical pollution.

Since then, “chemical pollution” has been redefined as “novel entities” to include all long-lived toxic substances that humans release into the environment, and yes, plastic is one of those. In January 2022, it was determined that we have passed the boundary for novel entities, largely because we are producing plastics faster than we can assess them.

The plastic afterlife

*The following percentages are estimates for all plastics produced up until 2015 (totaling 8.3 billion metric tons of virgin plastics).

Landfills and the natural environment - 79%*

Plastic pollution is complex and contrary to popular belief, it does not simply remain in its unaltered state in the environment. Plastic will weather and break down to the point where it is no longer visible to the naked eye but instead forms micro and nanoparticles that affect our planet in irreversible ways.

At the current pace of plastic production, it has been estimated that our oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050.

Incineration - 12%*

Plastic incineration is a major source of air pollution and can have extremely damaging effects on humans, animals, and plant life. The fumes contain toxic chemicals like dioxins and mercury and release black soot into the atmosphere.

It is possible to incinerate plastic in a controlled setting, and even use the heat generated to create power, but these systems are expensive and a large source of CO2 emissions. In the EU, 52 million tons of CO2 per year come from waste to energy plants that are used to provide electricity to 18 million citizens and heat to 15 million.

Recycling - 9%*

Plastic recycling is broken. There are three primary reasons behind low recycling rates:

  1. High cost: Virgin plastic is 20 to 30x cheaper to produce than recycled plastic.
  2. Low availability: There are many more plastic processors than recyclers, and recyclers tend to be small to medium sized operations.
  3. Lack of transparency: The plastic industry is highly fragmented and subject to multiple legal frameworks at the national and international levels. Low levels of digitalization in the space have also meant it has been difficult to source and verify the quality of materials.

In the US, the country generating the most plastic waste, most plastic that is collected to be recycled is simply shipped abroad, primarily to countries struggling to deal with their own plastics.

Regulation

  • European Union directive on single-use plastics: As of July 2021, ten plastic items cannot be sold in EU markets if a sustainable alternative exists. By 2025, all plastic bottles must contain 25% recycled plastic (increasing to 30% by 2030).
  • US National Recycling Strategy: Launched in November 2021, and the first of its kind, the US Environmental Protection Agency aims to increase collection of and improve the market for recycled materials. More details are forthcoming.
  • UK plastic packaging tax: Beginning in April 2022, producers and importers of plastic packaging that is made of less than 30% recycled materials will be charged ÂŁ200/tonne (for 10 tonnes +).
  • United Nations Plastic Resolution: In Feb 2022, 175 countries endorsed a resolution to develop a framework for reducing plastic waste. An International Negotiating Committee will start working this year on a legally binding agreement, with the goal to have the work completed by 2024.
    • A group of global experts, trade unions, indigenous people, and civil society groups launched a petition and call to action in December 2021 asking the United Nations to establish a global plastics treaty.

Resources

Last updated: Apr 2022

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