Plastic Pollution Alliance Under Fire for Producing 1000 Times More Than They Clean Up

Despite their commitment to divert 15 million tonnes of plastic waste from the environment by the end of 2023, new findings suggest that these goals were not only unmet but were quietly deemed overly ambitious early last year. Instead, documents obtained by Greenpeace’s Unearthed investigative team indicate that the alliance’s main objective might have been to shift public conversation away from banning plastics—a move criticized as potential greenwashing.

According to data from energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie, the five core companies of the AEPW produced an estimated 132 million tonnes of polyethylene and polypropylene—two of the most commonly used plastics. This figure starkly contrasts with the mere 118,500 tonnes of waste plastic the alliance has claimed to have diverted through recycling and other methods.

The enormity of the plastic waste challenge is further highlighted as international delegates convene in Busan, South Korea, to negotiate the world’s first treaty aimed at curbing plastic Pollution. The talks are crucial, yet they face intense lobbying from the fossil fuel and plastic industries, which are reportedly against including global production caps in the treaty.

This alarming disparity between plastic production and waste management underscores the growing criticism against such alliances. Environmental advocates argue that meaningful reduction in plastic pollution can only be achieved by significantly cutting down on plastic production, rather than relying on recycling and waste diversion efforts that cannot keep pace with the amount of plastic being generated. As the world moves towards potentially transformative legislation, the role of major plastic producers continues to be scrutinized for their part in the ongoing environmental crisis.

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