Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste (2022) / Chapter Skim
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2 Plastic Production and Global Trade
2 Plastic Production and Global Trade
Pages 31-46
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From page 31... ...
waste stream. This chapter describes the production of materials that may become plastic waste: feedstocks for plastic resins, the production process, biodegradability of plastics, the types of products generated from plastics, and characteristics that create challenges for the waste stream and our environment.
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Globally, more than 99% of plastics are produced from fossil feedstocks -- petroleum (crude oil) or natural gas (British Plastics Federation 2019, CIEL 2017, 2020, Skoczinski et al.
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. More than 90% of plastics are made from virgin fossil feedstocks, which utilize roughly 6% of global oil consumption (World Economic Forum, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and McKinsey & Company 2016)
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– 2021b in 2020a MMT Includes HDPE, PVC, LDPE, LLDPE, PP, PS, EPS, TPU Excludes PET, thermosets, resin fibers Plastics Europe 2020 70 MMT 368 MMT – – Includes thermoplastics, in 2019b in 2019 thermosets, polyurethanes, elastomers, adhesives, coatings, sealants, PP fibers Excludes PET, PA, and polyacryl fibers Geyer, Jambeck, and Law 2017 – 407 MMT – 8,300 MMT Includes thermoplastics, in 2015 in 2015 thermosets, polyurethanes, elastomers, coatings, and sealants; polyester, polyamide, and acrylic fibers; additives NOTE: Information about what is included and excluded from each estimate is taken directly from each data source. Square brackets indicate "on the order of" or "approximately." EPS = expanded polystyrene, HDPE = high-density polyethylene, LDPE = low-density polyethylene, LLDPE = linear low-density polyethylene, NAFTA = North American Free Trade Agreement, PA = polyamide, PET = polyethylene terephthalate, PP = polypropylene, PS = polystyrene, PVC = polyvinyl chloride, TPU = thermoplastic polyurethane.
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, thermoset, and resin fibers, and the committee was unable to identify data for these materials. In 2019, Plastics Europe estimated 70 MMT TABLE 2.2 Definition of "Domestic" for a Variety of Thermoplastic Production Data Provided by the American Chemistry Council (ACC)
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. Plastic production trends in North America over the past two decades have varied for different plastic resins (Figure 2.3)
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Low-density 4 Single-use plastic bags, reusable bags, 3.5 polyethylene trays and containers, agricultural (LDPE) film, food packaging film, etc.
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Supply includes imports and domestic production. Domestic indicates United States and Canada or United States, Canada, and Mexico, depending on the resin type and year.
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Two data measures were downloaded -- the customs value (gen) , which is the average price paid per unit; and the card count, which is the number of individual import line items.
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ROLE IN GLOBAL OCEAN PLASTIC WASTE FIGURE 2.4 U.S. Census trade data indicating the value of plastic products exported and number of plastic product categories exported from 1992 to 2020.
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Census Trade data, in 2020, the United States imported 5,747,472 categories of plastic products ("the number of individual import line items") at a value of $58.9 billion.
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. Total economic value is the sum of market and nonmarket values, direct use value and indirect use value, option value, existence value, and bequest value.1 When all costs and benefits of using plastic products are taken into account, the net benefits of using plastics (i.e., the private value to people of using plastics, minus private production and waste disposal costs)
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This type of benefit-cost analysis that considers all values could be a powerful tool to reach sustainability goals. By including the value of ecosystem goods and services into the total economic value, reducing plastic waste can be used to preserve the oceanic natural capital and its services.
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supplemental material; projected numbers from Ellen MacArthur Foundation's annual industry growth estimations (World Economic Forum, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and McKinsey & Company 2016) -- 2016–2020 has an annual 4.8% growth rate, 2021–2030 4.5%, and 2031–2050 3.5%.
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As seen in this chapter, data on a wide array of plastic resin types could not be found and utilized. Without having access to plastic production data, it can be difficult to anticipate and react to production changes or to determine effective strategies to bolster plastic waste management.
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Finding 3: The complex international system of plastic production, trade, and use complicates efforts to fully quantify the role of the United States in plastic production, export, import, use, and the coun try's contribution to plastic pollution. Conclusion 1: Because the vast majority of plastics are carbon-carbon backbone polymers and have strong resistance to biodegradation, plastics accumulate in natural environments, including the ocean, as pervasive and persistent environmental contaminants.
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