Recently WSJ published an article about how the members of the U.S. Plastics Pact have extended their timeline to achieve certain sustainability targets that are not likely to be met by 2025 to 2030. U.S. Plastics Pact is a coalition of major plastics stakeholders part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's global Plastics Pact network. The group seeks to align its vision for a circular economy for plastics.
Clearly, this is disappointing news. For their part, the U.S. Plastics Pact says that their updated Roadmap 2.0 is more ambitious than the previous goals. However, I do not necessarily think that these companies are giving up on sustainability; rather it underscores the challenge to achieve meaningful and lasting change. Change is hard, and lasting change requires key developments to reinforce the new behavior. These companies have shown courage to take on the long-term issues of sustainability of which the consequences of not doing so are beginning to manifest. However, transitioning to circularity and sustainability of plastics is a big challenge.
The importance of making progress with this is self-evident. Plastics contribute to everyday quality of life and prosperity. Anywhere you go and anywhere you look you see plastic products. Unfortunately, much of what you see on the streets and in the trash is plastic waste: the leftover corpse of extracted value. Beyond the problems we see are greater problems we cannot see. Microplastics and toxic by-products from waste are causing unseen damage to us and our environment. Plastics are literally the straw that stirs the drink of consumerism. They fuel our consumption of goods driven by desire rather than necessity. And that desire and its externalities are coming back to haunt us.
"Civilization needs the utility of plastics, but once its value is extracted, the material needs to be reused, recycled, or broken down completely into nutrients that can be absorbed back into the environment."
What is missing? Attributes, Affordability, and Availability
We need better solutions. As companies are signaling, the commitment to change must be facilitated with the capability to change. The capability to change must come from changing habits and developing new material technologies that will enable change. Shifting to sustainable materials must be facilitated by technological developments that deliver plastics with additional sustainability features. Once available, the market pull from consumers will be met by supply from companies and brands. The flywheel to make the change to circularity and sustainability in plastics is a function of 1) finding a new type of material that has the attributes of the old material plus features of sustainability and circularity; 2) that is within the range of affordability, and 3) can be made available to consumers globally.
Attributes; what are the missing features?
Plastic is a miracle of modern science and ingenuity. Plastics have fantastic design properties they are lightweight yet strong, durable, versatile, and moldable into complex shapes and intricate designs. What is missing though, are attributes that add benefits of circularity and sustainability on top of the existing properties. Circularity refers specifically to the cyclical flow of materials and resources in an economic system. The core idea is to eliminate waste by designing products and processes for continuous reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling of materials. It aims to keep materials and products in use for as long as possible through closed loops. On the other hand, sustainability is a broader concept that considers the balanced integration of environmental, social, and economic factors for the benefit of present and future generations. While circularity contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing waste and resource extraction, sustainability takes a more holistic view encompassing social equity and long-term economic development alongside environmental resilience. Civilization needs the utility of plastics, but once its value is extracted, the material needs to be reused, recycled, or broken down completely into nutrients that can be absorbed back into the environment. The new attributes must expand on the properties of traditional plastics but expand to include a suitable pathway for end-of-life and to make sure that sustainability issues are addressed in dealing with the negative externalities that come from the plastics supply chain.
Affordability; If it won't make dollars, it won't make sense.
Plastics meet the needs of modern living at a price point that delivers utility to end users. As stated above, petroleum-based plastics have been engineered to meet the needs. However, its affordability in terms of the cost of the material, and the low cost to form it into a product, is a high hurdle for a substitute to overcome. Therefore, any sustainable substitute to traditional plastics must be within a reasonable premium to its more established competitor - petroleum plastics. For instance, in the case of eyewear, the cost of plastic and manufacturing of the eyewear is as low as $4 per item. That forms a baseline cost the consumer must bear in terms of higher cost or the retailer in lower margin. If neither is willing to bear the extra cost of using sustainable or environmentally friendly technologies compared to less sustainable alternatives, no change will happen.
Availability; for the change to happen it must be accessible.
The global supply chain for petrochemical plastics has made sourcing plastics components a commodity. For sustainable materials to have a chance it must be able to scale to meet global demands in terms of volume and reach. This may be the highest hurdle to overcome. This supply chain creates global economic value in terms of value created and people employed directly and indirectly. A sustainable alternative must be able to extend to cover a similar amount of global availability. Particularly in developing countries where there are the highest rates of growth in plastics consumption and waste.
So, what’s next?
The journey towards sustainable plastics is undoubtedly complex and challenging, but it remains a critical imperative for our future. While some companies may be reevaluating their strategies, the underlying need for change persists. The transition to circular and sustainable plastics requires a multifaceted approach, combining technological innovation, economic viability, and global accessibility. As we move forward, it's crucial to recognize that this shift isn't just about replacing one material with another; it's about reimagining our entire relationship with plastics. By focusing on developing materials that maintain the utility of traditional plastics while incorporating circularity and sustainability, we can create solutions that are both environmentally responsible and economically feasible.
At Rheom Materials we are passionate about empowering a sustainable future by creating innovative, biobased materials that seamlessly replace fossil fuel-based plastics. The path ahead may be long, but with continued research, investment, and commitment from both industry and consumers, we can forge a future where plastics contribute to our quality of life without compromising the health of our planet. The challenge is formidable, but the potential rewards – for our environment, our economies, and future generations – make it a journey worth undertaking.
References
“Companies Kick the Plastic Can Down the Road (Again) - WSJ.” Accessed June 19, 2024.
“Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) -U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).”
“City Mayors: World’s Fastest Growing Urban Areas(1).” Accessed June 19, 2024.
Kaza, Silpa, Lisa C. Yao, Perinaz Bhada-Tata, and Frank Van Woerden. What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2018.
*The cost of crude oil fluctuates which influences petroleum plastics, but these price spikes tend to normalize they incent increased production.
