You've probably never heard of the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR). But just like the PET plastic the group advocates for, their campaign fighting anti-plastic sentiment has a way of leaking unnoticed with a major impact on public opinion.
What's happening?
The New York Times reported on leaked NAPCOR documents that show the array of tactics stakeholders in plastic are using to fight off the anti-plastic movement.
They include paid influencer campaigns on TikTok, a Dennis Quaid-hosted infomercial on TV, and a marketing plan opposing the Olympics' ban on single-use plastics.
Central to the concept of all of these maneuvers is hiding their links to NAPCOR and the nearly 70 companies that fund it, the Times reported. Those include Solo cup producer Dart, plastic bottle titan Amcor, and INEOS. Instead of making the connection clear, these campaigns roll up to "Positively PET" social media accounts that obscure the links.
Disturbingly, the campaigns have proved quite successful, per the leaked documents. According to the Times, a NAPCOR communications director said one influencer campaign "surpassed our expectations" and more than doubled targeted impressions, achieving 12.2 million. That "led to a significant increase" in pro-plastic viewpoints toward the industry.
Why is the plastic industry's manipulation concerning?
NAPCOR's campaign obscures and obfuscates much of the danger of single-use PET plastic. A couple of examples the New York Times reported on were one TikToker who asserted "PET bottles are a closed-loop, zero-waste system." Another TikToker claimed PET plastic is 100% recyclable.
While these may be theoretically possible goals for PET plastic, it doesn't acknowledge the reality that less than 30% of it actually gets recycled in the United States, per NAPCOR's own research, cited by the Times.
The other 70% of PET plastic has significant negative implications for the planet and our health. Some of it goes into methane-producing landfills, where it expels gases that play a role in overheating the planet. That plastic will take decades, if not centuries, to break down.
Other plastics can leak into our water, soil, and bodies as microplastics, which are increasingly being linked to an array of concerning health problems for humans and animals. There's also the waste and resources involved in new production of plastic.
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What's being done about the plastic industry's campaigns?
Investigative reporting like the New York Times' can help alert the public to the plastic industry's spin and add skepticism and awareness.
Additionally, social media companies can do a better job of enforcing their ad rules and making it clearer that NAPCOR, and the companies behind it, are paying for influencer content. Facebook removed nine ads from Positively PET in the past for hiding their links.
The anti-plastic movement can also score larger-scale wins like a potential global plastics treaty, high-profile initiatives like the Olympics' reduction in single-use plastics, and litigation against companies that hide the negatives of plastic.
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