That our collective relationship with plastic is unhealthy has been well documented. It is a relationship that we take for granted and struggle to move forward from despite its often harmful nature.
The study on the link between plastic and energy
The results published by the global movement Break Free From Plastic and the Non Governmental Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) show the dynamics at play and how using less plastic would leave more energy to heat homes.
In their study “Winter is coming: plastic has to go”, CIEL and Break Free From Plastic, which has over 1,900 NGO members, state that the reduction of single-use plastics and packaging is a concrete step that the institutions could take to contribute to the overall effort of reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. According to the authors, it is time for the EU to “tackle the petro-elephant in the room: plastic”.
The link between gas, oil and plastic
Derived from fossil fuels, produced in energy-intensive processes and discharged, incinerated or recycled after use, the plastic goes hand in hand with emissions at every stage of his life. Yet their production in Europe increased from 0.35 to 55 million tonnes between 1950 and 2020, and plastics are the EU’s petrochemical industry’s biggest market.
According to the report, in 2020 almost the 15% of total EU gas consumption and 14% of oil was used to produce petrochemicals. Most of it went to the production of plastics. The results reveal, for example, that as much gas was used to produce plastic as was consumed by the Netherlands overall. Similarly, the countries that consume the most oil and gas to produce plastics – Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland – are also responsible for 77% of all plastic packaging waste of the EU.
Introduce plastic into energy programs
In this context and in the light of the gas supply race outside Russia, for the authors of the study it is a serious oversight not include the plastics industry in the EU’s Save Gas for a Safe Winter proposal aimed at securing heat and electricity across the continent in the coming months.
As households and small businesses face skyrocketing energy bills, the petrochemical industry is wasting resources, already scarce to produce unnecessary single-use plastic, fueling the EU’s energy crisis, argues Break Free from Plastic.
Eliminating single-use plastic has several positive sides
Scholars say telling people to waste less energy as the petrochemical and plastics industry continues to be promoted, with large amounts of oil and gas wasted, reveals a serious disconnect between expectations of individuals and the industry. But they also point out how tackle the issue of single-use plastics at this juncture offers a real opportunity to tackle three crises simultaneously: the plastic crisis, the climate crisis and the energy crisis.
The report presents a number of recommendations in this regard. These include imposing a degressive limit on the total packaging allowed to enter EU markets, a limit on the volume of plastic produced globally and blocking the construction of new infrastructure for fossil fuels, including petrochemical plants. The authors also ask ambitious and binding prevention targets and 50% reuse of plastic by 2030 and 80% by 2040 and a ban on unnecessary packaging such as single-serve sachets and fruit and vegetable packaging.
Plastic blockade in Europe?
For activists and scholars it is time to slow down the plastics industry in Europe. In other words, they would like to see an immediate and complete halt in virgin plastic production. They also claim a thorough Europe-wide analysis based on report findingswhich should include expanding research, polling the petrochemical industry and listing what kind of products they are producing to see if they are essential or not.
Although Europe has accomplished some steps forward on plasticincluding its 2018 strategy, subsequent ban on certain single-use items and current role in working towards an internationally binding agreement to end plastic pollution, the report notes that the Union has yet to take action to directly stop the production of new plastic.
Reducing plastic production against high energy bills
Scholars hope that in addition to highlighting the correlations between the plastic, climate and energy crises, the new research will launch a debate on the production of virgin plastic and on the need to further reduce single-use packaging in Europe. They are optimistic that this winter’s outlook means the results will resonate with both policy makers and the general public.
Scholars believe that it is easier for a politician to implement measures that tackle single-use plastics than to implement other measures that affect things such as heating systems in people’s homes or increasing energy bills.
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