The article in the url below is an intricate discussion around new and advanced methods to recycle plastic, which is notoriously difficult to recycle because of the complex chemical compounds of which it is made and mean that "more than 90% of plastic ends up incinerated, in landfills or dumped in nature." Moreover, given current technology, it is [not] clear that recycling results in fewer emissions than manufacturing virgin plastic."
But, all the doom and gloom aside, I was interested in the statistics used to frame the argument about how ubiquitous this material is:
But also, how fast production is growing:
"Half of all production, which is growing faster than that of any other material, is designed for single-use applications. The world's annual output of over 400m tonnes is set to reach 1,100m by 2050."
Take care
David
David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)
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Trash talk
April 19, 2025
The Economist
Late Edition – Final
54-55
https://www.economist.com/business/2025/04/16/a-new-way-to-recycle-plastic-is-here
