Talking trash: the corporate playbook of false solutions to the plastic crisis

The report argues that the plastics industry employs a 'corporate playbook' of delay, distraction, and derailment to protect its business model. It analyzes voluntary commitments from major polluters, finding them lacking in accountability and ambition. Through case studies in 15 countries, it demonstrates how companies lobby against mandatory collection systems like Deposit Return Systems (DRS) and promote 'false solutions' such as chemical recycling and bioplastics to shift responsibility onto consumers.

• The plastics industry uses a three-part strategy to resist regulation: 'delay, distract and derail'. Delaying involves lobbying to postpone legislation or using voluntary commitments to convince policymakers that mandatory measures are unnecessary. Distraction involves blaming consumers as 'litterbugs' and promoting 'sticking-plaster solutions' like beach clean-ups. Derailing involves direct and indirect lobbying, legal challenges, and the creation of 'pre-emption laws' to block local bans.
• Voluntary commitments from the ten largest plastic polluters are often non-binding and lack transparency. Many companies fail to report their total plastic footprint or independently verify data. For example, Coca-Cola set a goal in 1990 to use 25% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) in its bottles, but three decades later, they still only contain 10% rPET.
• Chemical recycling and incineration are characterized as 'false solutions'. Chemical recycling is described as an immature technology that is often actually 'plastics-to-fuel', releasing greenhouse gases when burned. Incineration, often called 'waste-to-energy', is criticized for producing toxic emissions and creating a 'perverse incentive' against reducing plastic waste.
• Deposit Return Systems (DRS) are identified as the most effective way to achieve high collection rates (often 90%+), yet they are fiercely opposed by beverage companies and retailers. In the US, industry opponents have outspent proponents of bottle bills by as much as 30:1.
• Bioplastics, including bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics, are presented as a 'red herring' that can lead to deforestation and habitat destruction due to feedstock requirements. They often confuse consumers and can contaminate existing recycling streams.
• In the United States, the industry has successfully used 'pre-emption laws' to make it illegal for local governments to ban plastic bags. Fourteen states have such laws in place, while only eight have banned plastic bags.
• In the European Union, the industry lobbied to delay the 90% separate-collection target for beverage bottles from 2025 to 2029. They also fought against the requirement for tethered caps, claiming it would increase carbon emissions and costs.
• In Spain, the Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) Ecoembes is accused of manipulating recycling data to create an illusion of success. While Ecoembes reported a 75.8% recycling rate for disposable plastic containers in 2018, Greenpeace estimated the real figure to be closer to 25% or lower.
• In Japan, the official recycling rate is reported as 80–85%, but the report claims the true municipal recycling rate is only 23% because the official figure includes 'thermal recycling' (incineration) and waste exports.
• In Kenya, the industry established PETCO to 'self-regulate' PET recycling and avoid mandatory measures. However, the report finds that the subsidy provided for collection is extremely low, and plastic bottles continue to litter the environment.
• In Bolivia, the industry successfully lobbied to weaken a local law in La Paz that would have banned plastic bags and PET bottles, eventually leading to the law's rejection.
• The plastics industry co-opted the Covid-19 pandemic to argue for the necessity of single-use plastics and to lobby for the rollback of environmental legislation, such as plastic-bag bans in the US.

APA

Urbancic, N., Harding-Rolls, G., Zallio, X. P. B., & Tangpuori, A. D. (2020). Talking trash: the corporate playbook of false solutions to the plastic crisis. Changing Markets Foundation. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Talking_Trash_final.pdf

Chicago

Urbancic, Nusa, George Harding-Rolls, Ximena Purita Banegas Zallio, and Alice Delemare Tangpuori. Talking trash: the corporate playbook of false solutions to the plastic crisis. Changing Markets Foundation, 2020. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Talking_Trash_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Urbancic |first1=Nusa |last2=Harding-Rolls |first2=George |last3=Zallio |first3=Ximena Purita Banegas |last4=Tangpuori |first4=Alice Delemare |title=Talking trash: the corporate playbook of false solutions to the plastic crisis |publisher=Changing Markets Foundation |date=September 2020 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Talking_Trash_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{urbancic2020talking, author = {Urbancic, Nusa and Harding-Rolls, George and Zallio, Ximena Purita Banegas and Tangpuori, Alice Delemare}, title = {{Talking trash: the corporate playbook of false solutions to the plastic crisis}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Talking_Trash_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }