Policy Brief : Climate change impacts of plastics

Studies estimate that plastics account for around 3-8% of global GHG emissions, and it is projected to double by 2060 [1-4].

• Most of the GHG emissions from the plastic industry are in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2) and are
  related to the energy used at various stages of the plastic life cycle, including extraction of fossil
  fuels, production of monomers, resins, and additives, plastic conversion, and end-of-life
  management. There are also process emissions that include CO2 as well as other GHGs (e.g., fugitive
  methane emissions from upstream oil and gas operations) [1,5].
• 99% of plastic polymers and chemical additives are made from fossil fuel feedstocks [6]. Almost 15%
  of crude oil production goes to the petrochemicals sector with plastics as the largest end-use
  product [7]. Combustion of oil and gas is also required for power and high-temperature heat demand in the production of plastics.
• Estimates indicate that plastics and other petrochemicals industries will drive half of the growth in
  demand of fossil fuel production by 2050 [7]. The extraction, refining, and transportation of
  petrochemicals for plastic production involves various energy and emission-intensive processes.
• However, most studies of resin or monomer production ignore previous steps, thus providing a
  rather incomplete picture and underestimating the full climate impact [8].
• Studies estimate that emissions from end-of-life processes contribute to around 10% of total
  emissions from the plastic lifecycle, mainly from incineration. While production is the major concern
  for climate impact, continued mismanagement of end-of-life plastics presents a significant GHG
  emissions issue going forward [1,9].
• Incineration, in which about 20% of the plastic waste currently ends, is an energy and emission intensive process [4]. Waste-to-energy is another form of incineration that uses plastic waste as an
  energy source [10]. However, burning fossil fuel-based plastic waste is not better for the climate than
  burning other fossil fuels [2,9]. It also generates toxic air pollution that is harmful to human health
  due to the chemicals released, and is particularly harmful to often-adjacent lower-income
  communities already impacted by climate change [11]. Some of these emissions could possibly be
  captured with carbon capture technologies, but these technologies remain largely unproven at scale,
  with concerns of cost and long-term mitigation impact [12,13].

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