Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is upending our lives and the global economy in ways unimaginable until recently. While the overall impacts are still difficult to quantify, ramifications are sure to be felt for decades to come. Providing secure, reliable, and affordable resources for all without causing devastating environmental consequences is perhaps the greatest challenge of the 21st century. But the pandemic has significantly altered dynamics and changed priorities. How is this impacting the quest for sustainability?
In this paper we analyze these challenges by focusing on the plastic industry. There is no doubt that plastic has molded society in many ways that make our lives easier and safer, but it has also created a global environmental and sustainability crisis. In order to curb our addiction to plastic, the world had been waging a war against virgin plastic, but the pandemic has turned an enemy into a much-needed ally. How can we leverage the advantages of plastic without contributing to the world’s environmental crisis?
This dilemma poses a significant challenge, but also opens an opportunity to address sustainability at a systemic level through circularity and the transition to low-carbon alternatives to petroleum-based plastics.
References
Aguado, R., Olazar, M., San José, M., and Bilbao, J. (2002), “Wax Formation in the Pyrolysis of Polyolefins in a Conical Spouted Bed Reactor” Energy Fuels 16, 1429.
Amcor (2019), “Sustainability Review 2019” Link, accessed July 16, 2020.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), “Optimizing Supply of PPE and Other Equipment During Shortages” Link, accessed August 18, 2020.
Center for International Environmental Law (2019), “Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet” Link, accessed October 20, 2020.
Chaudhuri, S. (2020), “How Coronavirus Complicated the Quest for a Greener Plastic Bottle” Wall Street Journal, Link, accessed July 27, 2020.
Chasan, E. (2020), “The Oil Crash Created a Recycled Plastic Trap” Bloomberg, Link, accessed August 21, 2020.
Cho, R. (2017), “The Truth About Bioplastics” Earth Institute Columbia University, Link, accessed August 9, 2020.
Clifford, T. (2020), “Hospital supplier Owens & Minor is expanding capacity to meet personal protective equipment demands” CNBC, Link, accessed August 16, 2020.
Consumer Brand Association (2020), Link, accessed August 18, 2020.
Edwards, E. (2020) “How are Goggles Made?” Thomas Publishing Company, Link, accessed August 18, 2020.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2016), “The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the Future of Plastics” Link, accessed August 10, 2020.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017), “The New Plastics Economy Catalyzing Action” Link, accessed July 12, 2020.
Eni Versalis (2020), “Circular Economy” Link, accessed November 20, 2020.
Environmental Protection Agency (2015), “U.S. EPA Sustainable Materials Management Program Strategic Plan” Link, accessed July 2, 2020.
European Commission (2015), “Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy” Link, accessed October 20, 2020.
European Commission (2018), “A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy” Link, accessed July 8, 2020.
European Commission (2018), “First Circular Economy Action Plan” Link, accessed July 8, 2020.
Fletcher, C. (2020), “How is Used PPE Disposed of During the Coronavirus Pandemic” Global Biodefense, Link, accessed August 21, 2020.
Geyer, R., Jambeck, J., and Law, K. (2017), “Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made” Sci. Adv. 3, e1700782 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700782.
Gibbens, S. (2018), “What you need to know about plant-based bioplastics” National Geographic, Link, accessed August 9, 2020.
Grigore, M. (2017), “Methods of Recycling, Properties and Applications of Recycled Thermoplastic Polymers” Recycling 2, 24, https://doi:10.3390/recycling2040024.
Hahladakis, J., Velis, C., Weber, R., Iacovidou, E. and Purnel, P. (2018), “An overview of chemical additives present in plastics: Migration, release, fate and environmental impact during their use, disposal and recycling” Journal Haz. Mat. V344, 179-199 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.10.014.
Hatti-Kaul, R., Nilsson, L., Zhang, B., Rehnberg, N. and Lundmark, S. (2019), “Designing Biobased Recyclable Polymers for Plastics” Trends in Biotechnology 38(1), 50-67 doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2019.04.011.
Henneberry, B. (2020), “How Surgical Masks are Made” Thomas Publishing Company, Link, accessed August 18, 2020.
Howard, J., Liptak, K. and Valencia, N. (2020), “CDC’s draft guidance for reopening amid coronavirus includes spaced-out seating in schools, disposable menus in restaurants” CNN, Link, accessed August 18, 2020.
IEA (2020), “Global CO2 Emissions in 2019” Link.
Independent Group of Scientists appointed by the Secretary-General (2019), “Global Sustainable Development Report 2019: The Future is Now—Science for Achieving Sustainable Development” Link, accessed July 8, 2020.
Leonard, G. and Mallos, N. (2020), “What We Know- and Don’t Know- About Plastics and the Coronavirus” Ocean Conservancy, Link, accessed July 27, 2020.
Maiden, T., Patton, B., Balaster, M. and Schmoll, E. (2020), “Novel Coronavirus—How employers should dispose of personal protective equipment” ReedSmith, Link, accessed August 21, 2020.
Material Economics (2018), The circular economy—a powerful force for climate mitigation, Link, accessed Oct. 15, 2020.
National Conference of State Legislatures (2020), “State Plastic and Paper Ban Legislation” Link, accessed July 10, 2020.
Nova Institute (2020), “Bio-based Building Blocks and Polymers—Global Capacities, Production and Trends 2019-2024” Link, accessed Sept. 1, 2020
Parker, L. (2018), “Straw Wars: The Fight to Rid the Oceans of Plastic” National Geographic, Link, accessed July 6, 2020.
Paxton, V. (2010), “Medical Gloves—Types and Uses” AllegroMedical, Link, accessed August 18, 2020.
Peszko, G. (2020), “Plastics: The Coronavirus could reset the Clock” World Bank, Link, accessed August 18, 2020.
Peters, A. (2019) “Will Compostable Packaging Ever be able to Solve our Waste Problem?” Fast Company, Link, accessed October 3rd, 2020
Plastic Europe (2019), “Plastics - the Facts 2019” Link, accessed Sept. 1, 2020.
Plastics Industry Association (2020), “History of Plastics” Link, accessed Sep. 1, 2020.
Rahimi, A. and García, J. M. (2017), “Chemical recycling of waste plastics for new materials production” Nature Reviews Chemistry, Vol. 1, 1-11, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-017-0046.
Reddy, S. and Lau, W. (2020), “Breaking the Plastic Wave: Top Findings for Preventing Plastic Pollution” Pew Research Center, Link, accessed July 23, 2020.
Romera-Castillo, C., Pinto, M., Langer, T. M., Álvarez-Salgado, X. A. & Herndl, G. J. (2018), “Dissolved organic carbon leaching from plastics stimulates microbial activity in the ocean” Nat. Commun. 9, 1430.
Rosengren, C., Crunden, E.A. (2020), “How coronavirus is disrupting US waste and recycling” WasteDive, Link, accessed August 16, 2020.
Tenenbaum, L. (2020), “The Amount of Plastic Waste is Surging Because of the Coronavirus Pandemic” Forbes, Link, accessed July 27, 2020.
UN (2015), “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” Link, accessed October 10, 2020.
UN Environment (2018), “Our Planet Is Drowning in Plastic Pollution”, Link, accessed September 18, 2020.
Van den Oever, M., Molenveld, K., van der Zee, M., and Bos. H. (2017), “Bio-based and biodegradable plastics—Facts and Figures” Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, Report 1722, doi: 10.18174/408350.
Wautelet, T. (2018), “Exploring the role of independent retailers in the circular economy: a case study approach” 10.13140/RG.2.2.17085.15847.
WHO (2020) “Shortage of personal protective equipment endangering health workers worldwide” Link, accessed Sept. 28, 2020.
World Economic Forum (2016), “The New Plastic Economy: Rethinking the Future of Plastics”, Link, accessed July 27, 2020.