What you should know about corporate plastic pollution

Plastic pollution is bad for nature, our health and the climate. Scientists estimate there are about 171 trillion particles of plastic in the ocean weighing 2.3 million tons and these plastics are one of the leading causes of marine wildlife deaths. Microplastics were found in the blood of nearly 80% of people tested in a recent study. Plastic production will generate the same amount of planet-warming pollutants as 615 coal-fired power stations by 2050 if production continues at the current rate.  

The root of the problem is clear: corporations. Coca-Cola alone produces 3 million metric tons of plastic annually. Big corporate polluters rake in billions of dollars each year by continuing to push out single-use plastic products. Read on for some facts you may not know about corporate plastic pollution: 

1. Plastics are the fossil fuel industry’s “plan b.” 98% of plastics are actually made from fossil fuels. As alternative energy sources become more popular, fossil fuel corporations are turning to plastic production as a new channel for profits. That’s not to mention the fossil fuel emissions that result from the production and transportation of plastics. These two polluting industries are inextricably linked. 

2. Recycling is not a solution. Corporations sometimes push recycling as the answer to plastic’s environmental harms, but only 9% of plastic produced has ever been recycled. Even in a perfect world where all plastics are actually recycled properly, no plastic products can be recycled infinitely. So, the process only delays the inevitable end point: ending up in a landfill, in our oceans, or incinerated, releasing toxic fumes.    

3. Packaging is one of the biggest sources of plastic waste. More than half of non-fiber plastic comes from packaging – the majority of which is single-use. The EPA estimated that 14.5 million tons of plastic containers and packaging were generated in 2018 and a staggering 69% of this plastic ended up in landfills.  

It’s always a good thing to examine our personal plastic consumption and challenge ourselves to be less reliant on single-use plastics. But the change we need requires corporate accountability. ClientEarth has used the law to hold polluters accountable by challenging Coca-Cola’s misleading recyclability claims, going to court to block petrochemicals giant INEOS from opening a massive plastics plant and taking on fossil fuel companies for dodging responsibility to clean up zombie wells.  

If you’re fired up and ready to take action for a planet without so much plastic, sign our Plastic Free July pledge and share it with your community to show corporations that we demand accountability for plastic pollution.