Beyond Recycling

The document contends that the 'circular economy' concept has been co-opted by the plastics industry to justify continued production through a reliance on recycling and thermal processing. It argues that plastics are fundamentally linear due to their fossil fuel origins, toxic additives, and material degradation during recycling. The brief advocates for a global agreement that caps plastics production by 2025, eliminates hazardous chemicals, and prioritizes reuse and redesign over waste management.

• The current application of 'circular economy' in plastics policy often focuses on waste management and recycling, diverging from the original pillars of protecting natural resources and eliminating externalized costs.
• Plastics are fundamentally incompatible with circularity because they are derived from non-renewable fossil fuels and contain toxic additives that migrate into the environment and human bodies.

APA

Patton, J., de Anzizu, H., Carlini, G., Del Castillo, A., & Azoulay, D. (2023). Beyond Recycling. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Beyond-Recycling-Reckoning-with-Plastics-in-a-Circular-Economy.pdf

Chicago

Patton, Jane, Hélionor de Anzizu, Giulia Carlini, Andrés Del Castillo, and David Azoulay. Beyond Recycling. Center for International Environmental Law, 2023. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Beyond-Recycling-Reckoning-with-Plastics-in-a-Circular-Economy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Patton |first1=Jane |last2=de Anzizu |first2=Hélionor |last3=Carlini |first3=Giulia |last4=Del Castillo |first4=Andrés |last5=Azoulay |first5=David |title=Beyond Recycling |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=March 2023 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Beyond-Recycling-Reckoning-with-Plastics-in-a-Circular-Economy.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{patton2023beyond, author = {Patton, Jane and de Anzizu, Hélionor and Carlini, Giulia and Del Castillo, Andrés and Azoulay, David}, title = {{Beyond Recycling}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Beyond-Recycling-Reckoning-with-Plastics-in-a-Circular-Economy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }