(GUF) FUELLING THE PLASTIC REVOLUTION

With countries setting net-zero targets and pushing for cleaner energy, we're seeing the rise of electric vehicles, renewable energy and efficiency regulations resulting in less demand for petrol and diesel.

With fuel demand stagnating/shrinking, oil companies are betting big on plastic as their next profit engine. The more we rely on plastic, the more we ensure oil remains a dominant industry even as the world shifts away from fossil fuels.

At present, the vast majority of plastics come from petrochemicals derived from crude oil and natural gas - ethylene, propylene, benzene, and other key plastic feedstocks come directly from oil refining and gas processing.

By 2040, nearly 20% of global oil consumption is expected to be for plastics, up from around 8-10% today; the biggest growth in packaging, textiles and consumer goods, especially in developing economies. Plastic production is expected to triple by 2050, meaning more crude oil will be used for plastic instead of fuel.

Oil companies are currently investing heavily in new plastic production plants, particularly in Asia, the U.S. and the Middle East. Their business model relies on more plastic, not less.

In reality most plastics are not recycled; they're burned, buried or landfilled which keeps demand high and allows companies to sell more virgin product. We, the public are told that if we sort our waste correctly, the plastic will be recycled, however, unfortunately, the reality is that only around 9% of all plastic ever produced to date has been recycled making plastic recycling effectively a convenient myth, perpetuated not for environmental reasons but to serve big business and political interests.

Plastic Recycling: the big illusion – whilst high-quality PET and HDPE get recycled (to an extent), most other plastics are currently either too contaminated or too expensive to process - we need change.

At present, we are to a large degree exporting our problem. Investing in UK-based recycling infrastructure is expensive; dumping the problem on other countries remains the easier (and cheaper) option, regrettably, often to countries with weak processing infrastructure. Officially, once the material leaves our shores, it's classified as “recycled” but in reality, much of it ends up Illegally dumped, burned in the open or polluting rivers and oceans.

Simpler Recycling won’t fix the core issue – If there’s no demand for a material, it won’t be recycled, no matter how neatly people sort it. The UK badly needs our own reprocessing facilities – without local infrastructure, we’ll forever be at the mercy of export markets.

All of this considered, Simpler Recycling is a much needed first step. We (the human race) have two choices with regards to waste plastic, we burn it or we recycle it and for this reason we must do more, get better and be more honest about how crap we currently are at recycling.

With the implementation of EPR, hopefully, the funding will start flowing from the producers to the UK waste industry within which we have many brilliant people and companies. More like this (best exporters of crap) - link - more like this (oil) - link