Single-use plastic production increases 6M metric tons and outpaces recycling by factor of 15, says Minderoo

08 Feb 2023 --- Single-use plastic is at an all-time high, reveals Minderoo Foundation’s latest Plastic Waste Makers Index (PWMI). According to the report, an additional six million metric tons (MMT) of single-use plastics were produced from 2019 to 2021.

“Recycling is failing to scale fast enough and remains, at most, a marginal activity for the plastics sector,” the index warns.

The index found the growth of single-use plastics from virgin polymer outpaced recycled feedstocks by a factor of 15 to 1 – six MMT compared to 0.4 MMT.

ExxonMobil, Sinopec and Dow were named as the top petrochemical companies producing virgin polymers bound for single-use plastic. At the same time, Sinopec, Indorama Ventures and ExxonMobil are the leading contributors to total cradle-to-grave (Scope 1, 2 and 3) greenhouse gas emissions from single-use plastic waste.

Minderoo Foundation says that PWMI aims to increase transparency along the entire plastics supply chain, through brands like Coca-Cola, which was named by Break Free from Plastic (BFFP) as the number one contributor to plastic pollution globally.

Speaking to PackagingInsights, Von Hernandez, global coordinator at BFFP points out that while the organization supports the demand to cap virgin plastic production, it calls for strong government mandates with clear targets.

PWMI found an additional kilogram of more plastic waste for every human on the planet driven by demand for flexible packaging film.“We have already seen the failure and massive shortcomings of so-called voluntary commitments, which allow polluters to greenwash and say the right things but do something else entirely,” Hernandez shares.

“In the latest New Plastics Economy Global Commitment Report, for instance, Ellen MacArthur Foundation acknowledged that signatory businesses will likely miss their 2025 targets.”

Greenwash warning
For this edition of the index, Minderoo Foundation “looked exhaustively” at the use of recycled plastic waste as feedstock for new polymers by petrochemical companies and its estimated contribution to single-use plastic.

Hernandez tells us: “We are skeptical about the outsized role that Minderoo Foundation places on recycling – especially promoted under the guise of circularity – as the solution and way forward for companies from this crisis.”

“The terribly dismal track record of plastics recycling over the last 50 years or so, already provides undeniable proof that this will never be the silver bullet hoped for by an industry that's becoming increasingly desperate for quick fixes. Investments in so-called advanced or chemical recycling will only encourage more plastic production, which is what industry wants – even if it means more carbon and toxic emissions.”

Only two companies – Taiwanese conglomerate Far Eastern New Century and Thailand’s Indorama Ventures – score a “C” or better on Minderoo’s circularity score, meaning they produce recycled polymers at scale.

“Compared to the first edition of the Plastic Waste Makers Index (2021), there are signs that the industry, in general, is taking circularity more seriously, but this will only amount to greenwashing if representations are not made good with action and investment,” the index states.

Dr. Andrew Forrest, chairman at Minderoo Foundation, adds: “We need a fundamentally different approach that turns the tap off on new plastic production. We need a ‘polymer premium’ on every kilogram of plastic polymer made from fossil fuel. We need financial incentives to encourage reuse and recycling and build new, critical infrastructure.” Minderoo Foundation chairman calls for a “polymer premium” on every kilogram of plastic polymer made from fossil fuel.

Evasion of responsibility?
The second edition found roughly an additional kilogram more plastic packaging waste for every human on the planet, driven by demand for flexible packaging (films, sachets, etc.) made from the two polymers: PP (+3 MMT) and LLDPE (+3 MMT). The index details that flexibles grew from a 55% share of all single-use plastics in 2019 to 57% in 2021.

To combat the plastic menace, PWMI recommends: limiting fossil fuel plastic production and consumption, increasing circularity through product design, and eliminating plastic leakage to the environment across the lifecycle through environmentally sound waste management.

Hernandez says the report reaffirms many of the things BFFP has been advocating. 

“These reports are critical in informing decision makers and should serve as strong reminders to plastic producers of their responsibility and ultimate accountability for the plastic pollution crisis,” he asserts. 

“Governments should keep their eyes on the ball regarding the importance of having mandatory plastic reduction targets, expressed for example, through a legally binding global plastics treaty – and not get blindsided or mesmerized by industry tricks to evade full responsibility for the crisis they created, including reliance on false solutions such as incineration, chemical recycling, or even plastic off-setting schemes.”

“Plastic production caps, along with enabling economic conditions for plastic-free product delivery, will create a conducive environment for scaling up reuse and refill systems.”

For Hernandez at BFFP the “dismal” track record of plastics recycling provides proof that it will never be the silver bullet hoped for by an industry that's becoming increasingly desperate for quick fixes.Awareness, implementation and transition 
Minderoo Foundation argues that to unlock greater capital flows into circular plastics production pressure needs to be directed appropriately toward polymer producers and policymakers.

“Engaging policymakers through coordinated advocacy that leverages industry, the finance sector and civil society perspectives is needed,” it states.

“Interventions that level the economic playing field against fossil-based plastics and create the enabling conditions for investment in recycling, as well as other circular solutions such as reuse models and alternative materials, are essential.”

Additionally, Forrest shares that halting the increase in pollution and the threat to human health from microplastics is paramount. He says that better waste management must be combined with reducing the production of new plastics from fossil fuels.

PWMI highlights the link between plastics and net-zero carbon emission goals to reiterate the need to transition to a circular mode of living.

“Growth in fossil-fuel plastics cannot be the ‘soft landing’ for the oil and gas industry,” Forrest underpins.

Hernandez at BFFP concludes: “What we would like to see are massive investments in solutions that avoid the problem in the first place such as reuse based systems and alternatives. Cut down plastic production starting with single-use plastic and scale up reuse systems – that, to us, is the winning formula.”

“While improvements in plastics collection and recycling activities are significant, such infrastructure will not be enough to safely handle plastic materials (and achieve circularity), whether it's made of recycled or virgin feedstock, considering the harms of associated toxic chemicals on human health and the environment.”

By Radhika Sikaria