Corporate Plastic Production: A Troubling Truth

The world's environmental future is in the hands of a handful of corporations, with 100 companies responsible for more than 90% of all global plastic waste. The United States is a major player in the industry, with many of the world's largest plastic manufacturers based in the country. In 2023, North America accounted for 17% of global plastic materials production. The US plastics industry is largely fuelled by the country's oil and gas sector, with fossil fuel companies continuing to expand the production of single-use plastics.

The top 100 companies are responsible for 90% of global plastic waste

According to new research from The Plastic Waste Makers Index, 100 companies are responsible for more than 90% of all global plastic waste. Twenty of those companies are responsible for 55% of the world's plastic waste.

The world's environmental future is currently at the mercy of a handful of corporations, the majority of which do not have great track records. Single-use plastics are made from fossil fuels, and as the world moves to fuel transport and energy generation with renewable sources, fossil fuel companies are quickly transitioning more into plastic production. Many of the world's largest plastic manufacturers are based in the United States, such as Dow Chemical and the ExxonMobil chemical division. In 2023, North America accounted for 17% of global plastic materials production.

The United States' plastics industry is largely fuelled by the country's oil and gas sector. With the availability of domestically produced petrochemical feedstocks, the plastic industry could be considered to go hand in hand with the US fossil fuels industry. Prior to being pushed out of cost-effectiveness as a result of the oil crisis in 2020, the US shale oil and gas industry fuelled what was dubbed the 'US shale advantage', which led to billions of dollars in plastic industry investments.

The primary data source on the generation of plastics is the American Chemistry Council. In 2018, plastics generation was 35.7 million tons in the United States, which was 12.2% of MSW generation. While overall the amount of recycled plastics is relatively small, the recycling of some specific types of plastic containers is more significant. The recycling rate of PET bottles and jars was 29.1% in 2018, and the rate for HDPE natural bottles was 29.3% in 2018.

The top 20 companies are responsible for 55% of global plastic waste

According to new research from The Plastic Waste Makers Index, 100 companies are responsible for more than 90% of all global plastic waste. Twenty of those companies are responsible for 55% of the world's plastic waste. This statistic shows that the world's environmental future is at the mercy of a handful of corporations, most of which do not have great track records.

Single-use plastics are made from fossil fuels, and as the world moves to fuel transport and energy generation with renewable sources, fossil fuel companies are quickly transitioning more into plastic production. The United States has played a major role in the industry, with many of the world's largest plastic manufacturers based in the country, such as Dow Chemical and the ExxonMobil chemical division. In 2023, North America accounted for 17% of global plastic materials production.

The U.S. plastics industry is largely fuelled by the country's oil and gas sector. With the availability of domestically produced petrochemical feedstocks, the plastic industry could be considered to go hand in hand with the U.S. fossil fuels industry. Prior to being pushed out of cost-effectiveness as a result of the oil crisis in 2020, the U.S. shale oil and gas industry fuelled what was dubbed the 'U.S. shale advantage', which led to billions of dollars in plastic industry investments.

The primary data source on the generation of plastics is the American Chemistry Council. In 2018, plastics generation was 35.7 million tons in the United States, which was 12.2% of MSW generation. While the overall amount of recycled plastics is relatively small, the recycling of some specific types of plastic containers is more significant. The recycling rate of PET bottles and jars was 29.1% in 2018, and the rate for HDPE natural bottles was 29.3% in 2018.

The US is a major player in the global plastics industry

The US plastics industry is largely fuelled by the country's oil and gas sector. The availability of domestically produced petrochemical feedstocks means the plastic industry goes hand in hand with the US fossil fuels industry. In 2020, the US shale oil and gas industry fuelled what was dubbed the 'US shale advantage', which led to billions of dollars in plastic industry investments.

The plastics industry began in the US in the early 1900s when the first synthetic plastic was created. Since then, annual global plastic production has exploded from 1.5 million metric tons in 1950 to 359 million metric tons in 2018. In 2022, plastic production in the US amounted to approximately 56.9 million metric tons.

Many of the world's largest plastic manufacturers are based in the US, including Dow Chemical and the ExxonMobil chemical division.

The US plastics industry is fuelled by the country's oil and gas sector

The US plastics industry is largely fuelled by the country's oil and gas sector. In 2023, North America accounted for 17% of global plastic materials production. The US is home to many of the world's largest plastic manufacturers, such as Dow Chemical and ExxonMobil.

The US plastics industry is closely tied to the country's fossil fuels industry. The availability of domestically produced petrochemical feedstocks has made the two industries interdependent. Petrochemicals, the category that includes plastic, now account for 14% of oil use. The US shale oil and gas industry, in particular, fuelled what was called the 'US shale advantage', which led to billions of dollars in plastic industry investments.

The majority of plastics are made from fossil fuels, and as the world moves towards renewable energy sources, fossil fuel companies are increasingly transitioning into plastic production. The OECD reports that 94% of plastics are 'virgin' plastics made from crude oil or gas. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that petrochemicals will drive half of oil demand growth between now and 2050.

In 2018, plastics generation in the US was 35.7 million tons, 12.2% of MSW generation. While the overall amount of recycled plastics is relatively small, the recycling of some specific types of plastic containers is more significant. For example, the recycling rate of PET bottles and jars was 29.1% in 2018.

The amount of recycled plastics is relatively small

The low recycling rate is concerning given the large amount of plastic waste generated by companies. According to research from the Plastic Waste Makers index, one hundred companies are responsible for more than 90% of all global plastic waste, with twenty of those companies producing 55% of the world's plastic waste. Many of the world's largest plastic manufacturers are based in the United States, such as Dow Chemical and the ExxonMobil chemical division. The US plastics industry is largely fuelled by the country's oil and gas sector, with the availability of domestically produced petrochemical feedstocks.

The production of single-use plastics, in particular, is a major contributor to plastic waste. Fossil fuel companies are continuing to expand the production of single-use plastics, and it is estimated that by 2050, plastics could account for five to ten percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Only two percent of single-use plastics created in 2019 were made from recycled plastics.

While the recycling of some specific types of plastic containers is more significant, the overall amount of recycled plastics is still relatively small compared to the amount of plastic waste generated by companies.

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