Plastic's Carbon Footprint: How Much Is Too Much?

The production of plastics has a significant impact on the environment, with the carbon footprint of plastics doubling since 1995. This is largely due to the increased use of coal, which has tripled the fossil resource footprint of plastics. In 2015, plastics caused 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If all plastics produced in 2015 were incinerated, this would increase the annual carbon footprint of plastics by 19%.

The carbon footprint of plastics is higher than previous estimates

The carbon footprint of plastics is higher than previously estimated. Research has shown that the carbon and particulate-matter-related health footprint of plastics has doubled since 1995, mainly due to growth in plastics production in coal-based economies. Coal-based emissions have quadrupled since 1995, causing almost half of the plastics-related carbon and particulate-matter-related health footprint in 2015.

The carbon footprint of plastics is driven by coal combustion. Fossil fuels combusted for global plastics production released a total of 1.7 GtCO2e in 2015. The carbon contained in fossil resources used as feedstock for plastics production accounted for another 890 MtCO2e. This means that twice as much fossil carbon is combusted as fuel for plastics production (1.7 GtCO2e) than contained as feedstock in plastics (890 MtCO2e).

If all plastics produced in 2015 were incinerated, this would increase the annual carbon footprint of plastics by 19% (350 MtCO2e, subtracting credits from energy recovery). The carbon footprint of plastics obtained in this study is higher (+16%) compared with Zheng and Suh, who used bottom-up life-cycle analysis to assess the global carbon footprint of plastics in 2015 but did not account for double counting.

The global value chain of plastics has typically focused on the disposal phase, considered the most harmful to the environment and human health. However, the production of plastics is also responsible for substantial environmental, health and socioeconomic impacts. The plastics-related carbon footprints of China’s transportation, Indonesia’s electronics industry and India’s construction sector have increased more than 50-fold since 1995. In 2015, plastics caused 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Coal-based emissions have quadrupled since 1995

The carbon footprint of plastics is driven by coal combustion. The fossil resource footprint of plastics has tripled since 1995, due to an increased reliance on coal. Coal-based emissions have quadrupled since 1995, causing almost half of the plastics-related carbon and particulate-matter-related health footprint in 2015. In 2015, plastics caused 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon footprint of plastics is higher than previous estimates, which did not account for double counting. If all plastics produced in 2015 were incinerated, this would increase the annual carbon footprint of plastics by 19%. The global carbon footprint of plastics is also influenced by the link between plastics-producing and consuming regions, as well as the future evolution of the industry.

The carbon footprint of plastics would increase by 19% if all plastics produced in 2015 were incinerated

The carbon footprint of plastics is increasing. In 2015, plastics caused 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The fossil resource footprint of plastics has tripled since 1995, with fossil fuels combusted for global plastics production releasing a total of 1.7 GtCO2e in 2015. The carbon contained in fossil resources used as feedstock for plastics production accounted for another 890 MtCO2e. This means that twice as much fossil carbon is combusted as fuel for plastics production (1.7 GtCO2e) than contained as feedstock in plastics (890 MtCO2e).

The carbon and particulate-matter-related health footprint of plastics has doubled since 1995, mainly due to growth in plastics production in coal-based economies. Coal-based emissions have quadrupled since 1995, causing almost half of the plastics-related carbon and particulate-matter-related health footprint in 2015. The carbon footprint of plastics obtained in this study is higher (+16%) compared with Zheng and Suh, who used bottom-up life-cycle analysis to assess the global carbon footprint of plastics in 2015 but did not account for double counting.

If all plastics produced in 2015 were incinerated, this would increase the annual carbon footprint of plastics by 19% (350 MtCO2e, subtracting credits from energy recovery). This is because the carbon contained in fossil resources used as feedstock for plastics production would be released, adding to the carbon footprint of plastics.

The environmental impacts of plastics are not limited to the disposal phase, which is considered the most harmful to the environment and human health. The production of plastics is also responsible for substantial environmental, health and socioeconomic impacts. To evaluate the role of trade, the link between plastics-producing and consuming regions must be mapped. The future evolution of the global carbon footprint of plastics must be analysed, assuming that the world follows the International Energy Agency's (IEA's) projection for a 2 °C or 6 °C scenario.

The carbon footprint of plastics production is twice as much as the carbon contained in feedstock

The carbon footprint of plastics is a growing concern. Research shows that the carbon and particulate-matter-related health footprint of plastics has doubled since 1995, mainly due to the growth in plastics production in coal-based economies. In 2015, plastics caused 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The environmental impact of plastics production is significant, and the carbon footprint of plastics is higher than previously thought. If all plastics produced in 2015 were incinerated, this would increase the annual carbon footprint of plastics by 19% (350 MtCO2e, subtracting credits from energy recovery). The global value chain of plastics has typically focused on the disposal phase, considered the most harmful to the environment and human health. However, the production of plastics also has substantial environmental, health, and socioeconomic impacts.

The carbon footprint of plastics in China's transportation, Indonesia's electronics industry and India's construction sector has increased more than 50-fold since 1995

The carbon footprint of plastics has been increasing due to the increased use of coal for process heat, electricity, and as a raw material in production. Coal-based emissions have quadrupled since 1995, causing almost half of the plastics-related carbon and particulate-matter-related health footprint in 2015. The carbon footprint of plastics is also increasing due to the increased reliance on coal, with the fossil resource footprint of plastics tripling since 1995.

The carbon footprint of plastics in China's transportation, Indonesia's electronics industry, and India's construction sector has increased more than 50-fold since 1995. In 2015, 15% of the global carbon footprint of plastics was attributed to plastics used for construction, and almost half of these emissions were attributed to China's construction industry. In addition, plastics are responsible for 15% of the carbon footprint of the global automotive industry, and more than one-third of these GHG emissions were attributed to China's automotive industry.

Indonesia's electronics industry has also seen a significant increase in its plastics-related carbon footprint. The country's booming plastic production, driven by its coal-based economy, has contributed to the rising global carbon footprint of plastics.

India's construction sector has not been spared from the increasing plastics-related carbon footprint. The country's growing infrastructure and transportation systems have led to a rising demand for plastics, contributing to the sector's more than 50-fold increase in its carbon footprint since 1995.

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