Plastic industry hid recycling limitations – 02/27/2024 – Environment

The plastics industry hid information about the real viability of recycling as a solution to the millions of tons of plastic waste discarded every year, which guaranteed the expansion of its markets at the same time that it generated an environmental crisis.

This is what a study by the North American NGO CCI (Center for Climate Integrity), launched this month, which mobilized the petrochemical sector (the so-called “Big Oil”), the plastic processing industry and recycling associations in the USA, states. as well as in Brazil. All are critical of the main conclusions of the report, titled “The Plastic Recycling Fraud” and celebrated by environmentalists.

The study brings unpublished documents from the plastics industry in the USA that indicate limits for recycling this type of material already highlighted by previous investigations to which the CCI refers. There are internal reports, presentations from industry conferences and notes from an official at the American Plastics Council, a leading trade body in the 1980s and 1990s.

Industry documents cite difficulties in recovering discarded material and the low demand for recyclable plastic resin, due to the degradation of the material in light of the purity and quality requirements established for many applications.

They also indicate that the incineration of plastic waste for energy production was considered a more logical path, although ecologically controversial, and that, given the increase in environmental awareness and regulatory initiatives, recycling needed investment from the sector to avoid the emergence of more restrictive laws on the material.

One such initiative was the creation, by the Plastics Industry Society of the USA, in 1988, of codes to differentiate some of the various plastic resin compositions. There are numbers from 1 to 7 surrounded by the recycling symbol — a triangle formed by three clockwise arrows.

Contrary opinions argue that the iconography suggested that the material was recycled or would be recycled, when there was neither this commitment nor the economic viability to implement the recycling of the entire variety of plastics indicated next to the arrow symbol.

“These sources, together, are convincing evidence that this industry was aware that recycling was not a viable solution to the problem of plastic pollution,” he tells Sheet Davis Allen, CCI researcher and lead author of the study.

“It was known that plastic recycling was neither technically nor economically viable given the scale of the problem. And, by promoting this false promise, the industry deceived consumers and legislators into protecting and expanding their markets while, at the same time, containing initiatives regulatory measures, especially those against the spread of single-use plastics.”

After more than 30 years of promoting recycling, it is estimated that only 9% of plastic discarded globally is actually recycled. In Brazil, a study by the NGO WWF, based on data from the World Bank, states that, in 2019, only 1.3% was recycled.

The Post-Consumer Mechanical Recycling Index, an initiative by Abiplast (Brazilian Plastics Association), indicates that recycling was 25.6% in 2022.

“For years, several initiatives and public policies have been meticulously designed in favor of plastic recycling, and it is essential to recognize this effort”, states, in a note, the president of Abiplast, Paulo Teixeira, who accuses the CCI report of “inconsistencies”, without specifying them.

“Renowned companies, such as Coca-Cola and Unilever, have established specific goals in relation to the topic, demonstrating that any environmental undertaking should not be underestimated or disqualified”, he assesses.

Also contacted, Abiquim (Brazilian Chemical Industry Association), which brings together petrochemical companies, says, in a note, that plastic management is a topic of interest to the chemical industry and that it understands that plastic pollution is linked to poor waste management , such as incorrect disposal.

According to the executive president of Abiquim, André Passos Cordeiro, the entity’s companies have been investing in products made from renewable sources, thermoplastic resins produced from recycled plastic, research into chemical recycling processes, energy generation from sources renewable sources and methodologies to help customers develop more sustainable packaging.

Light and cheap, versatile and durable, plastic is the dominant material in the contemporary economy. Made from fossil fuels, plastic production increased from 1.5 million tons in 1950 to 460 million tons in 2019. Projections estimate that this amount should at least double by 2060.

As a result, waste production also increased, which made the disposal of plastic “a major threat to ecosystems”, as the UN classified it. The organization plans to conclude the Global Treaty Against Plastic Pollution this year.

“What we are realizing now is that the relatively simple sequence of collecting, sorting, sorting, shredding, cleaning and remanufacturing may have utility for recycling a significant portion of the plastic waste stream, but does not appear to be broadly applicable for waste management. plastic”, wrote in 1992 a technology manager at DuPont, one of the largest chemical companies in the world, in a document reproduced by the CCI.

According to the NGO’s report, the different plastic compositions that exist on the market are a major obstacle to recycling, as each type has specific processing. Furthermore, more and more plastic packaging is produced with layers of other materials, which makes separation difficult or even impossible.

With this technical complexity, even though different plastic compositions are potentially recyclable, in practice, many of them are not, the report states.

The economic issue also weighs heavily. According to the study, processing costs remain high and the resulting product has lower quality and restricted application. Therefore, virgin plastic resin, obtained directly from fossil fuels, is usually cheaper than recycled plastic resin.

“The entire plastic production chain is to some degree to blame for this fraud. But it is the petrochemical, oil and gas companies that most used the false promise of recycling to exponentially increase the production of virgin resin”, says Allen , for whom the promise of recycling has created a global plastic waste crisis and imposed significant costs on local governments and communities responsible for waste management.

In Brazil, Planares (National Solid Waste Plan), from 2022, establishes recycling targets for plastic packaging, which will be increased to 30% in 2024, with a view to reaching 50% in 2040.

For environmental manager Isabella Vallin, from the Organizations, Society and Sustainability Research Center at USP (University of São Paulo), the measure is still insufficient. “Although the industry recycles 30% of plastic waste, this is not significant compared to the volume generated by the industry, with a great environmental impact.”

According to engineer Tereza Cristina Melo de Brito Carvalho, coordinator of the Poli-USP Sustainability Laboratory, plastic is not a villain, but its disposable use should be restricted to essential areas, such as healthcare.

“It’s a profound issue because plastic permeates packaging, clothing, furniture and almost all of modern society. And that’s why we have so many economic clusters interested in protecting this industry and not recognizing certain information [como as do estudo do CCI].”