The changing single-use plastics landscape

Consumer activism is driving regulatory action

Plastics have become a part of everyday life—they’re used in food packaging, cars, and innumerable household items we rely on for a better quality of life.

The production of plastic has increased substantially, growing from 1.5 million tons in 1950 to over 320 million tons in 2015.¹ And the single largest category of plastics is single-use plastics (SUPs). These disposable plastics, which are used only once before they’re thrown away or recycled, are largely used for packaging and generate the most waste.²

But in recent years, three major issues seem to be driving consumer perception and prompting increased regulatory pressure:

1. Usage of fossil fuels in manufacturing plastics and GHG emissions

One of the primary concerns, centered around sourcing, is the usage of fossil fuels or nonrenewable energy in the manufacturing of single-use plastics. Producing SUPs using fossil fuels increases the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions significantly—about 1.8 billion tons of CO2 are released annually.³

Replacing fossil-based energy with renewable sources would reduce GHG emissions from plastics by up to 51 percent.⁴ Furthermore, recycling disposable plastics reduces total energy consumption by 79 percent for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), 88 percent for high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and 88 percent for polypropylene (PP).⁵

2. Inadequate sustainable disposal and recycling solutions

Decreasing capacity for sustainable disposing of plastics waste is another cause for concern. Many landfills in developed nations are reaching their maximum capacity, driving those countries to export their plastic waste to emerging countries for processing. For instance, by 2021, only 15 years of landfill capacity is expected to remain in the US.⁶

In recent years, over 50 percent of the waste from plastic was being exported to China, with the US alone sending 1.4 million tons of scrap plastics annually to China for recycling.⁷ But since China's ban on waste plastic import in 2017, many developed nations are struggling to cope.

Moreover, deficiencies in current recycling programs cause substantial amounts of SUPs to end up in landfills. Globally, less than 9 percent of plastics waste is recycled, with the rest ending up in landfills that are usually not properly managed, thereby polluting the environment.⁸

3. Potential risks to public health

SUPs may have serious consequences on public health as human beings are consuming plastics that contain carcinogens and other toxic substances that can cause cancer. According to a new study in Environmental Science & Technology, human beings are consuming as much as 52,000 microplastic particles a year.⁹

Plastics and the associated chemicals typically end up in human bodies from eating seafood—mostly sea organisms that have ingested microplastics because of the degradation of products containing SUPs.¹⁰