In recent years, the plastics and petrochemical industry has embraced the idea of “net-zero plastic” to greenwash expanded plastic production and use. Their narratives tout zero-emissions plastic, but there is no way around it: plastic is carbon. It is a major threat to our climate, and can never be a part of any solution to the climate crisis.
Production and incineration of plastics are on track to burn through up to 13% of the ever-shrinking global carbon budget required to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Plastics begin as fossil fuels, and greenhouse gases are emitted at every stage of their life cycle: oil and gas extraction and transport, plastics production and manufacture, plastic waste management or incineration, and plastic pollution in our environment.
Industry greenwashing efforts falsely claim that plastics can be part of a climate solution, with five main arguments. This report responds to each in turn:
- Myth #1: Plastic production can be emissions-free by using clean energy and carbon capture and storage (CCS).
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- Response: Plastic is carbon, so zero-emissions plastic is impossible.
- Myth #2: Plastic waste can be a carbon-free fuel.
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- Response: Burning plastic releases its carbon, a process commonly known as “incineration.”
- Myth #3: Plastics can be made without oil and gas and become a carbon sink.
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- Response: Traditional plastic is bad for the climate; plastic made from CCS and hydrogen could be worse.
- Myth #4: Plastic pollution will be mitigated with offset schemes and green credits.
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- Response: It is not possible to offset plastic’s greenhouse gas footprint, either today or in the future.
- Myth #5: Bioplastics will solve the problem.
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- Response: Plastics made from plant feedstocks are still plastics, and will require carbon-intensive industrial agriculture.
These flawed arguments distract policymakers from the real solution of reducing plastic production — representing a telling case study of how the net zero concept is being used to greenwash business-as-usual practices and divert attention from actual climate solutions.
This report was produced by the Center for International Environmental Law and GAIA with the support of the Plastic Solutions Fund.
Published October 2021