Experts have long been warning that we can’t recycle our way out of the global plastic crisis, but some companies and NGOs are now offering companies the chance to become “plastic neutral” by offsetting while continuing to use plastic themselves. It’s a growing industry.
Plastic waste and microplastics are everywhere. On Mount Everest, in Arctic ice and the deepest ocean trenches, in the stomachs of animals, in our food, drinking water, and even our blood. Such ubiquity is a reflection of how much plastic we make, which is now 200 times more than back in 1950. And so far, we have only managed to recycle around 9% of it.
Companies looking to offset their plastic pay a fee to NGOs and companies in the plastic offset sector. This money is used to collect a corresponding amount of plastic from the service providers or third-party providers in developing countries. In some cases, plastic is also recycled.
One of the pioneers in the market is the company rePurpose Global. When companies invest in their collection and recycling programs, they receive a “plastic neutral” certificate which means they can then market their products as such. Conversely, however, they can continue to use plastic at the same time.
Alix Grabowski, Director of Plastic and Material Science at conservation group WWF, says it would be logical to expect that products claiming to be plastic neutral have no impact in terms of waste. “But that’s not really the case.”
Market analysis by the US NGO “The Circulate Initiative” sees a clear risk of greenwashing, above all due to a lack of transparency. Of 32 offsetting projects studied, just three make the connection between climate change and plastic consumption.
What is not always clear with such offsetting schemes, is what happens to the plastic itself, and so far there have been no studies detailing the impacts.
What can’t be recycled is burned to create a source of energy for the cement industry, replacing coal in the process. Critics say this merely amounts to one dirty fuel being replaced by another, and that it adds to air pollution.
Encouragingly, in March this year, for the first time in history, 200 countries agreed on mandatory rules for the production, consumption and disposal of plastics by 2024.
Source: Deutsche Welle
