Plastics: ban or recycle?

76% of French soils show presence of microplastics, according to a study published late December by ADEME (https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/en-france-une-presence-quasi-systematique-des-microplastiques-dans-les-sols-20241226)

Worrying results, when one considers the significant and likely underestimated consequences on human health and the environment more generally.

Ban plastics, some advocate, highlighting as well the massive contribution to GHG emissions by plastics, over their lifecycle.

Such a stance misses however the numerous positive applications of plastics in our daily life, be it for medical devices, food conservation, construction etc. Weaning our societies off plastic seems thus hardly realistic.

Imo, a more desirable path forward is the circularity of plastics.

As shown by a recent report from Plastics Europe (https://plasticseurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2310838_RoadmapCopyChange_110924.pdf), there is indeed a pathway to increase « circularity drastically and achieve 65% circular plastics consumed in Europe by 2050 ».

It starts with…

•  … the sustainable use of plastics putting products on the market that are safe for human health and the environment

• … and with the reduction of leakage to the environment across the life cycle of plastics.

It continues with… 

• … phasing out landfilling and incineration of recyclable plastic waste (which still account for more than 60% post-consumer plastics packaging waste management). Extending the EU ETS to incineration is a necessary step in this direction.

• … incentivising demand of circular plastics, notably through public tenders

• … investing in the whole spectrum of circular solutions for plastics.

This spectrum encompasses…

• … mechanically-recycled plastic waste,

• … chemically-recycled plastic waste. Chemical-recycling complements mechanical one: it produces premium-quality plastics and provides an effective solution for waste that would not be recycled otherwise, as well as for applications such as food-contact packaging or medical use,

• … sustainably sourced biomass,

• … or CO2 captured through carbon capture and utilisation. "A promising pathway towards carbon capture & utilisation is combining captured CO2 from industry with low-carbon hydrogen (green, blue or pink hydrogen) to produce methanol », subsequently converted into polymers through the methanol-to-olefins process. Materials produced this way result in 90% fewer CO2 emissions than those produced through the conventional fossil-based route (European Commission, 2018), according to Plastics Europe.

Circularity of plastics might not be at the detriment of GHG emissions’ reductions: there could be a pathway to drive the plastics’ life cycle to net-zero by 2050 combining investments…

• … to reduce GHG emissions during manufacturing through eco-design, facilitating reuse and recycling of plastic products

• … but also upstream in the feedstock production

• … and downstream in the conversion and end-of-life stages.

Of course, as for decarbonization in general,

• the investments needs will be massive. Plastics Europe calculates that the cumulated CAPEX needed could amount to €726 bn over the next three decades and cumulated OPEX to €220 bn.

• thus only close collaboration of all parties involved in the value chain, as well as regulators and authorities will be required.

What is your opinion? Do you believe in the circularity of plastics?