Twenty firms produce 55% of world's plastic waste, report reveals

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/18/twenty-firms-produce-55-of-worlds-plastic-waste-report-reveals

Twenty companies are responsible for producing more than half of all the single-use plastic waste in the world, fuelling the climate crisis and creating an environmental catastrophe, new research reveals.

Among the global businesses responsible for 55% of the world’s plastic packaging waste are both state-owned and multinational corporations, including oil and gas giants and chemical companies, according to a comprehensive new analysis.

The Plastic Waste Makers index reveals for the first time the companies who produce the polymers that become throwaway plastic items, from face masks to plastic bags and bottles, which at the end of their short life pollute the oceans or are burned or thrown into landfill.

It also reveals Australia leads a list of countries for generating the most single-use plastic waste on a per capita basis, ahead of the United States, South Korea and Britain.

ExxonMobil is the greatest single-use plastic waste polluter in the world, contributing 5.9m tonnes to the global waste mountain, concludes the analysis by the Minderoo Foundation of Australia with partners including Wood Mackenzie, the London School of Economics and Stockholm Environment Institute. The largest chemicals company in the world, Dow, which is based in the US, created 5.5m tonnes of plastic waste, while China’s oil and gas enterprise, Sinopec, created 5.3m tonnes.

*snip*

[TreasonousBastard]

1. I've heard about this, but Exxon doesn't throw away the stuff it makes. Somebody buys it...

sells it, and this keeps going on until eventually the last buyer throws it away.

It's called commerce, and it kind of depends on all the players wanting to keep everything clean. End users don't seem to want to.

OTOH, the pigshit pools by those hog farms are absolutely the farmers' problem-- can't blame those on BBQers.

[RockRaven]

2. And plastic recycling is a lie, like "clean coal"

A lie promoted by the plastic manufacturers, to prevent people from realizing they ought to outlaw or heavily penalize manufacturing the shit in the first place.

[WarGamer]

3. misleading article

Blame the end user who throws the plastic bag in the river...

[canetoad]

4. Simplistic platitude

Let's concentrate on eliminating these harmful materials, rather than hoping that humans will universally develop good sense.

[Hekate]

5. +1

[pecosbob]

6. 80% of the plastic waste in the oceans is from fishing nets, not straws or water bottles

This is stupid and self-destructive on so many levels. Our current path is not sustainable. This illustrates that these problems are complex and interrelated and often there is no simple solution.

[canetoad]

8. Spot on pecosbob

I come home with a pocketful every day, and our beaches are comparatively clean. Well said.

[Klaralven]

7. Outlaw plastic car seats for kids - just part of the phenomenal amount of plastic to raise kids.