Five petrochemical giants behind the Alliance to End Plastic Waste have produced 1,000 times more plastic than the initiative’s scheme has removed from the environment in the five years since its launch, aninvestigation by Unearthed has revealed. Documents seen by Greenpeace UK’s investigative journalism unit showed the Alliance was launched by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a major plastics trade association, and conceived by a PR agency as a campaign to “change the conversation – away from short-term simplistic bans of plastic”. Read the full investigation here According to its latest progress report, the Alliance has “reduced unmanaged plastic waste” by just 119,000 tonnes. Yet the new investigation by Unearthed reveals that just five of the Alliance’s leading members – Exxon, Shell, ChevronPhillips, Total and Dow – have produced 132 million tonnes of two forms of plastic, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) over the same period. This is over 1,000 times the weight of plastic the Alliance claims to have removed from the environment. The five companies have produced more plastic every two days than the initiative has managed to clean up over five years. In further documents seen by Unearthed, Weber Shandwick, the PR agency responsible for developing the Alliance, wrote in an awards submission that the ACC had commissioned it to create a campaign “to change the conversation away from short-term simplistic bans of plastic to real, long-term solutions for managing plastic waste” because of “the intense negativity and demonization of plastic”. It continued: “We wanted to shift the global marine litter debate to one focused on real, long-term solutions rather than on short-term bans on plastic that would not address the issue.” The investigation comes ahead of the final round of negotiations for the Global Plastics Treaty in Busan, South Korea, starting on November 25th. The Alliance has been a significant presence at recent treaty talks. Alliance members and the ACC have been pushing governments to abandon plans to curb plastic production, documents obtained by Unearthed show. Plastics are seen by the oil industry as a major growth market, with recent research projecting production to double or even triple by 2050. Polyethylene and polypropylene are the world’s two most widely produced plastics, used to make plastic bags, bottles and other packaging. Over half a million people signed a petition calling on the UK government to push for a strong treaty at next week’s talks. The petition, handed to DEFRA minister Emma Hardy by Greenpeace campaigners and school children yesterday, demands an ambitious and strong Global Plastics Treaty that will limit plastic production and use. Will McCallum, co-executive director at Greenpeace UK said: “This investigation has stripped off the thin layer of greenwash hiding the growing mountain of plastic waste Big Oil is producing. The recycling schemes they’re promoting can barely make a dent in all the plastic these companies are pumping out. They’re letting the running tap flood the house while trying to scoop up the water with a teaspoon. The only solution is to cut the amount of plastic produced in the first place. “This month’s Global Plastic Treaty negotiations in Busan can be a turning point in the fight against plastic pollution. Fossil fuel and petrochemical lobbyists will be out in force in Busan doing all they can to push false solutions and derail effective action. Governments must see through the deception and push for a treaty that will actually cut out-of-control plastic production through binding, global rules.” Environmental campaigner Bill McKibben told Unearthed: “It’s hard to imagine a clearer example of greenwashing in this world. The oil and gas industry – which is pretty much the same thing as the plastics industry – has been at this for decades.” Unearthed approached the Alliance for comment. Their response can be found in the full investigation. |
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