Break Free From Plastic: “Companies resist reducing plastics production: Doing so would force abandonment of their growth projections”

26 Nov 2019 --- Solutions to the plastic crisis need to focus on preventing more plastic from entering the market and on implementing and supporting zero waste initiatives, alternative delivery systems and reusable products. This is according to the Plastic Atlas, published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Break Free From Plastic movement. The atlas delineates the current plastic pollution crisis, considering its impact on human health and climate, as well as ways in which it can be tackled. Speaking to PackagingInsights, Lisa Kuch and Lili Fuhr of the Heinrich Böll Foundation state that the circular economy and plastics cannot be aligned and that plastic needs to be reduced to a minimum in specific applications.

The report accuses the plastic industry of framing plastic pollution as a problem of litter and waste management. This is widely promoted and unquestioningly accepted by governments and the public alike, it reads, but essentially allows corporations to churn out throw away plastic products and packaging while passing on the blame for plastic waste to consumers. Also, the responsibility for managing what is discarded is pushed to local authorities.

In 2019, along with 31 other companies, Coca-Cola published its plastic figures for the first time. The data show how much waste is generated by relatively few firms.

As the plastic pollution crisis has worsened, while concurrently gaining mainstream prominence, the packaging industry has come under the spotlight. Companies have rallied to supply more sustainable packaging solutions, ranging from biodegradable materials to fully recyclable plastic packs.

But the report notes that much of these efforts are in vain. Recycling, in particular, is not the best way to solve the crisis. 

Lili Fuhr, Head of International Environmental Policy Division and Lisa Kuch, Head of International Climate, Energy & Agriculture Programme at the Heinrich Böll Foundation, tell PackagingInsights that recycling definitely has a role to play – especially given the huge quantity of plastics that have already been produced. “However, the point that the Plastic Atlas is making is that while recycling is preferable to incineration or landfills, it is unrealistic to think that we can recycle our way out of the plastic crisis. 

“Important economic and technological challenges remain. While better labeling and especially recycling infrastructure can improve the situation in some cases, such measures fall short of the importance of the problem,” they say.

Greenwashing
Within the packaging industry itself, many companies may be victims of “greenwashing” themselves. Accusations of greenwashing are rife in the industry and often revolve around the idea that companies who produce plastic have a misplaced focus on recycling and are just distracting people from the real issue. Recycling may still ensure that a strong supply of plastic will continue to be produced. Proponents of reusability say that a focus on this approach would really make a dent in the level of plastic circulating and should be in the spotlight.Since 2000, more plastics have been produced than in the 50 years before. The output of plastics continues to explode.

FMCG giants such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestlé often come under fire for their focus on recycling over reuse. These companies were branded the worst polluters in a recent Greenpeace report. The analysis was based on 484 cleanups in over 50 countries across six continents. PackagingInsights recently spoke to PepsiCo’s Sustainability VP on this topic.

“They [packaging companies] can be victims when their plastic converters tell them about the biodegradability of a new plastic without mentioning that industrial composting plants are still extremely rare and that such materials are until now not treated any differently,” Fuhr and Kuch say.

“Companies ought to make sure that they explore and invest in alternatives, both with respect to materials and new delivery systems that are built around reuse and refill. They need to build up expertise on circular economy matters within their own structures and first and foremost quickly avoid the use of non-recyclable plastics in their packaging. They need better financial and regulatory incentives to do so, though. The real costs of plastics are today not reflected in their prices.”

Indeed, the massive use of plastic for food and beverage packaging may be misplaced. The report recognizes plastic as durable and lightweight and notes that these properties make it ideal for many industrial products and everyday items. “But contrary to the original idea of positioning plastic as a high-quality material, it is today used mainly for packaging and single-use products,” the report reads.

Single-use products have now become a symbol of modern consumer lifestyle in a capitalist economy. In poorer regions, throwaway plastic items are seen as prestigious and increasingly used by the majority of consumers. Shifting from this mindset to one of circularity and zero waste is what the report calls for.

Does plastic packaging have a place within the circular economy?
The position of Fuhr and Kuch is that “it is unrealistic to think that all plastics can become circular and the plastic market can grow sustainably.”Many of the chemicals in plastic have an effect on human health. The consequences may be both serious and long-term. 

“Their numerous toxic additives and complex composition of many resines make recycling very difficult and their fossil fuel origin make them extremely long-lasting in nature and a highly impactful material with respect to sourcing and manufacturing. Plastics are a poor material for a truly circular economy and should at term be reduced to a minimum in specific applications.”

To reduce the levels of plastic circulating around our economy, governments need to hold companies accountable which are currently contributing to and profiting from the plastic crisis, the report indicates. Citizens need to demand real action and solutions from their policymakers to keep our ecosystems and bodies free from plastics and their toxic additives, it reads. This includes top-line agreements such as the EU single-use plastics ban and the total ban of exporting waste from more developed nations to Asian countries.

Massive moves against the grain from leading plastic companies will also be necessary to embrace a reduced-plastic lifestyle.

“Many companies resist the call to reduce plastics production: accepting the need to do so would force them to abandon their optimistic growth projections, upend their ingrained business practices that depend on single-use plastics, and accept lower profits. Instead, these companies strive to keep throwaway plastics as part of people’s everyday lives,” the report concludes.

By Laxmi Haigh