Plastic Polymers under the Full Life Cycle Approach

The document asserts that a comprehensive approach to ending plastic pollution must address the entire life cycle, starting from raw material extraction through the production of plastic polymers. It details the chemical processes involved—from feedstocks to monomers and polymerization—and highlights the significant environmental and health risks associated with this production, including greenhouse gas emissions and toxic releases. The brief provides legal and scientific precedents to support the inclusion of production controls in the treaty and recommends specific mechanisms, such as national reduction targets and a moratorium on new production capacity, to effectively reduce the global volume of plastics.

• A 'full life cycle approach' to plastics must begin with the extraction of raw materials, whether fossil-fuel or bio-based, and include the production of plastic polymers, as these are the fundamental building blocks for all plastic materials.
• Plastic polymer production is a major driver of fossil fuel demand; they currently account for 8% to 14% of oil demand and are projected to be the primary driver of oil demand growth by 2028.
• The production of plastic polymers is a significant source of global pollution, contributing 3% to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with 90% of those emissions originating from the production process, including monomer production and raw material extraction.
• The production process releases various toxic substances that adversely affect human health and the environment, including carcinogenic chemicals like benzene during feedstock refining and toxic solvents like hexane and toluene during polymerization.
• Plastic pellets (nurdles), which are primary microplastics, are frequently released into the environment through spills during production or transport, with estimates suggesting up to 22 trillion pellets are released annually.
• The document recommends that the future treaty operationalize production controls through legally binding national reduction targets, a global target to reduce polymer production, the phasing out of production subsidies, and a moratorium on new production facilities.

APA

González, D. D., Feit, S., & Azoulay, D. (2024). Plastic Polymers under the Full Life Cycle Approach. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/plastic-polymers-full-life-cycle-of-plastics-brief.pdf

Chicago

González, Daniela Durán, Steven Feit, and David Azoulay. Plastic Polymers under the Full Life Cycle Approach. Center for International Environmental Law, 2024. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/plastic-polymers-full-life-cycle-of-plastics-brief.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=González |first1=Daniela Durán |last2=Feit |first2=Steven |last3=Azoulay |first3=David |title=Plastic Polymers under the Full Life Cycle Approach |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=March 2024 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/plastic-polymers-full-life-cycle-of-plastics-brief.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gonzlez2024plastic, author = {González, Daniela Durán and Feit, Steven and Azoulay, David}, title = {{Plastic Polymers under the Full Life Cycle Approach}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/plastic-polymers-full-life-cycle-of-plastics-brief.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }