There are many things that have increased in the past few decades, not always for the benefit of the planet. Cars, for example, roads, and of course CO₂ emissions too. But the growth in plastic is particularly dizzying: since 1950, the amount produced annually has increased from 1.5 million tons to almost 370 million tons, which is 247 times as much. Although the increase has slowed down in the meantime, the production volume is still growing. Does it have to be that way?
The usual advice applies: save much more, replace and recycle
What is clear is that it has consequences. 4.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to the plastics industry. This is similar to the contribution made by aviation. Recently has a study by researchers at ETH Zurich Find out: The vast majority of these plastic emissions come from manufacturing, and it is increasing because they are increasingly being relocated to countries like China, whose energy systems are heavily based on coal. Six percent of the world’s coal electricity is used for plastic production. It’s not quite as crazy as mining bitcoins with the flow. But still annoying that you burn coal to make plastic from petroleum, which is often burned afterwards.
Instead, one could produce more of the plastic with renewable energy, as recommended by the ETH Zurich team. That would reduce the footprint of all the plastic wrapped in plastic that is so happily consumed in rich countries, but it is not really sustainable, and it does not change the littering of the oceans. Instead, much less fossil plastic should be produced.
But that does not mean that in future it will only be possible to shop in unpackaged shops; those who demand this have never tried it themselves or are blessed with enviable optimism when it comes to people’s willingness to switch. Rather, it means that a closed carbon cycle must be achieved, especially with plastic. It will probably never be possible to completely recycle the used plastic, but at the moment only one sixth is recycled globally. That is too little and could be changed, for example with prescribed quotas for recycled content in plastic products. Instead of crude oil, for example, you can use plastic made from renewable methanolbut not in unlimited quantities. As usual: save, recycle, replace.
Too laborious, too complicated? The alternative would be to do without plastic completely. But we have long been far too dependent on it for that.