Report reveals companies buried troubling truth by launching alliance — here's what you need to know

A report by the environmental nonprofit Greenpeace UK found that oil and gas giants behind an initiative to end plastic waste have produced far more plastic than they've cleaned up.

What's happening?

According to Unearthed, Greenpeace UK's environmental investigative journalism publication, the American Chemistry Council — a plastics trade group — launched the Alliance to End Plastic Waste in 2019. Members include well-known multinational oil companies, such as Shell, TotalEnergies, and ExxonMobil, which produce chemicals used in plastic packaging. 

The industry giants pledged $1.5 billion to clean up millions of metric tons of plastic across the planet, but Greenpeace's investigation discovered that they've generated over 1,000 times more plastic than they've removed. Furthermore, it took the alliance five years to clean up the plastic pollution that its petrochemical members produce in less than two days. 

And documents acquired by Unearthed show that oil companies don't intend to stop making plastic anytime soon. At recent United Nations negotiations, alliance members and the ACC have been calling for governments to reverse plans for a global plastic treaty. 

Why is this concerning?

Plastic is one of the largest sources of marine and environmental pollution worldwide, with an estimated 22 million tons of plastic litter contaminating landscapes every year, per the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. This includes 33 billion pounds of plastic entering the oceans annually, according to an Oceana report. 

Oil and gas companies' commitment to tackling the issue is a positive step, but when they're misleading the public about the benefits of the campaign, it becomes another case of greenwashing by major corporations. 

"It's hard to imagine a clearer example of greenwashing in this world," the environmental campaigner Bill McKibben told Unearthed. "The oil and gas industry — which is pretty much the same thing as the plastics industry — has been at this for decades."

An Alliance to End Plastic Waste spokesperson told Unearthed there is "no factual basis" to allegations of greenwashing, saying its goal is "to identify solutions that support the collection, sorting and recycling of plastic waste and promote a circular economy for plastics." 

And it may be true that those within this effort are doing their best to carry out the mission, but the point of the criticism is more that the existence of the Alliance is itself a form of greenwashing by the ACC and the companies involved in trying to shift the narrative about plastic to marketing it as only bad if it is wasted — which implies avoiding plastic waste is not nearly as hard as it really is.

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With plastic production expected to triple by 2060 if trends continue, per Unearthed, the oil industry stands to make even more money off the material. Without a global alternative to replace plastic, the companies simply have no incentive to stop producing it, even if they claim to want to be part of the solution. 

What's being done about it?

According to the European Commission, the U.N. member states could not agree in the recent round of negotiations on the unprecedented global plastics treaty. They are set to resume negotiations in 2025. 

"The EU will remain firmly committed to finding a global solution. Our oceans, our environment and citizens around the globe need it," said Jessika Roswall, the EU commissioner for the environment, water resilience, and a circular economy. 

Meanwhile, even if oil companies won't agree to reduce plastic production, we can make a difference by eliminating single-use plastics from our lives and opting for reusable alternatives. Even replacing disposable plastic grocery bags and water bottles with canvas tote bags and reusable cups such as a Stanley can do a world of good for the planet and your bank account.

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