GLOBAL – Australia’s Minderoo Foundation has revealed that single-use plastic production increased to 139 MMT (million metric tonnes) in 2021, up by 6MMT from 2019 figures (133 MMT).

In its latest report, The Plastic Waste Makers Index 2023, Minderoo warns that single-use plastic is fast becoming a climate crisis, as well as pollution crisis.

According to the report, emissions from single-use plastics in 2021 were equivalent to the total emissions of the United Kingdom – 450 million metric tonnes.

The report also warns recycling is failing to scale fast enough and remains a marginal activity for the plastics sector.

It claims from 2019 to 2021, growth in single-use plastics made from fossil fuels was 15 times that from recycled plastics.

The report argues only decisive regulatory intervention can solve what amounts to market failure in scaling up recycling.

In particular, it calls for scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions from plastic polymers to be included in net zero climate targets and strategies.

In addition, the report also calls for a levy on fossil-fuel polymer production and/or consumption to generate funds for scaling plastics collection, sorting, and recycling infrastructure.

According to the report, the composition of the top 20 petrochemical companies with the largest plastic waste footprint is strikingly similar to the first Plastic Waste Makers Index (PWMI 2019).

U.S.-based ExxonMobil remains the largest producer of polymers bound for single-use plastics – responsible for 6.0 MMT alone in 2021 – followed by China’s Sinopec (5.8 MMT) and U.S.-based Dow third (5.3 MMT).

Dr. Andrew Forrest AO, Chairman of Minderoo Foundation, said: “More plastic, more waste and more pollution. The fossil-fuel giants aren’t tackling the problem of plastics – it’s the opposite, they’re making even more of a product that threatens our people and planet. For the petrochemical industry to argue otherwise is greenwashing of the highest order.

“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 that encourage re-use and recycling and the build of new, critical infrastructure.”

The research also examines how the circularity scores shape up against the public claims made by the top 20 polymer producers.

Saudi Aramco, Borealis, Dow and Braskem stand out in terms of the mismatch between their high frequency of public claims about plastics circularity and their actual circularity credentials.

To combat the plastic menace, PWMI 2023 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.

Minderoo Foundation asserts that to unlock greater capital flows into circular plastics production pressure needs to be directed appropriately toward polymer producers and policymakers.

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