Survey finds that 60 firms are responsible for half of world's plastic pollution

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Fewer than 60 multinationals are responsible for more than half of the world’s plastic pollution, with six responsible for a quarter of that, based on the findings of a piece of research published on Wednesday.

The researchers concluded that for every percentage increase in plastic produced, there was an equivalent increase in plastic pollution in the environment.

“Production really is pollution,” says one of the study’s authors, Lisa Erdle, director of science at the non-profit The 5 Gyres Institute.

An international team of volunteers collected and surveyed more than 1,870,000 items of plastic waste across 84 countries over five years: the bulk of the rubbish collected was single-use packaging for food, beverage, and tobacco products.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/24/survey-finds-that-60-firms-are-responsible-for-half-of-worlds-plastic-pollution

[elena92]

1. This is unbelievable.

How do they get away with it?

I can't stop thinking about this piece: "Ninety percent of animal and vegetable protein samples tested positive for microplastics."

[sillylittleworm]

2. Unreal.

Oil and gas execs have known about climate change for decades.

Makes you wonder how long plastic peddlers have known about this.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Not Really Surprising

Plastics are a low margin product line. They are sold as commodities so the companies very limited control of price of sale.
As a result, profitability is heavily dependent upon volume.
Only large manufacturing firms can afford the capital intensive plant designs. These days, we're talking a starting number of well into 10 digits for a green field plant.
A polyethylene plant near Herr recently discovered an expansion. It increased volume by around 55%. Was $800 million. And, even with that expansion, they are only a mid-sized site.
Because of that we should expect that a limited number of companies are responsible for a huge fraction of the problem. Those 60 companies probably make well over 50% of plastic.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. It's like saying two manufacturers are responsible for 85% of the pollution due to commercial air travel. NT

[ProfessorGAC]

6. In Addition...

...I'm not sure that blaming the manufacturers properly assigns responsibility.
I think it's the consumer products industry that abandoned simple alternatives like paper that are far more responsible.
Why cant; milk & other dairy, juice, laundry detergent, fabric softener, water, and so on be in paper cartons like they were in the past?
If they switched to paper the manufacturers would make less plastic because the demand wouldn't be there.
I'd like to see a list of the companies that USE the most plastics for their products.

[progressoid]

4. So...are we going to go back to glass and aluminum?