Welcome to Higginson Strategy’s weekly round-up of international news relating to plastic pollution.
This week, a new study published in Frontiers in Science has revealed that extreme weather is making plastic pollution more mobile, more persistent and more hazardous. Exxon is lobbying lawmakers to change regulations against chemical recycling. A new study from Plymouth Marine Laboratory found growing levels of microplastics in the ocean are contributing to antimicrobial resistance, causing increased danger to public health. The successor of the UK’s Plastics Pact is facing challenges convincing major food firms to re-join the pact. Finally, a new report from Hybrid Economics has found that the UK could create 5,400 jobs if it stops exporting plastic waste.
Extreme weather is making plastic pollution more mobile, more persistent and more hazardous
A new study published in Frontiers in Science has found that the already surging tide of microplastics will be an even greater environmental and health threat as the world continues to experience increasingly extreme weather, transforming them into more mobile, persistent and hazardous pollutants.
The study found that climate change is worsening plastic pollution in the water, soil, atmosphere and wildlife, according to the analysis. Additionally, rising temperatures, humidity and sunlight break plastic down, making it brittle and cracked and accelerating its disintegration into tiny fragments.
Read more here.
Exxon takes on lawmakers over plastics recycling technology
ExxonMobil has warned that “onerous” regulations risk derailing a promising technology promised to recycle plastic. The major oil producer is lobbying lawmakers in Brussels and Washington for rule changes that it says would unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in its technology, known as chemical recycling.
Chemical recycling technology is opposed by many environmental campaigners who say it generates air pollution, produces more fuel from the waste than recycled plastics and heightens the health impact of plastic.
Plastics Pact successor faces battle to convince major food firms to join
The successor to the industry’s Plastics Pact is facing a crisis even before it gets off the ground, after it emerged a series of the UK food and drink industry’s big guns are refusing to sign up. Despite announcing a last-minute signature from Tesco, a series of major companies that had helped spearhead the previous pact, including Aldi, Coca-Cola, Co-op, Morrisons, Nestle, Sainsbury’s and Unilever are missing.
While the group claims 99.8 percent of problematic packaging had been eliminated since original plastic pact was launched, three of its four 2025 goals have been missed. Only 70 percent of plastic has been made reusable or recyclable and only 59 percent has been effectively recycled. Just 26 percent of packaging is made from recycled content, short of the 30 percent goal.
Read more here.
Growing levels of microplastics contribute to antimicrobial resistance, study finds
A new research study from Plymouth Marine Laboratory has found that pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can colonise microplastics in the natural environment, leading to dangerous antimicrobial resistance.
Microbial communities can rapidly establish themselves on plastic surfaces, forming complex biofilms that can support bacteria that carry resistance to key antibiotics. The microbial communities can also include serious bacteria that can be disease causing.
Read more here.
UK can create 5,400 jobs if it stops plastic waste exports, report finds
The UK could end its reliance on exporting plastic waste by 2030 to support the creation of 5,400 new jobs and take responsibility for the environmental impact of its waste, according to research. The report, by the consultancy Hybrid Economics, comes as Britain’s plastic exports rose by five percent in 2024 to nearly 600,000 tonnes of waste.
The report said up to 15 new recycling facilities could be built by the end of the decade, attracting more than £800m of private investment. The increase in capacity would help generate almost £900m of economic value every year, providing at least £100m in new tax revenues annually.
Read more here.