In a collaboration between Bennington College and Beyond Plastics, the report found that as fossil fuel companies seek to recoup falling profits, they are increasing plastics production, cancelling out the greenhouse gas reductions gained from closures of coal-fired power plants in the US.
The report analysed data of ten stages of plastics production, usage and disposal and found that the US plastics industry is releasing at least 232 million tons of greenhouse gases each year - the equivalent of 116 average-sized coal-fired power plants.
In 2020, the plastics industry’s reported emissions increased by 10 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions over 2019 and construction is currently underway on another 12 plastics facilities with an additional 15 in the planning stages.
“The fossil fuel industry is losing money from its traditional markets of power generation and transportation. They are building new plastics facilities at a staggering clip so they...