Plastic recycling claims are misleading consumers

The document analyzes how 'plastic recycling claims'—including circular loop symbols and statements like '100% recyclable'—misrepresent the limited efficacy of plastic recycling. It highlights that 91% of global plastic waste was not recycled in 2019 and that soft plastics are particularly difficult to recycle, often ending up as fuel or incinerated. The briefing concludes that such claims deceive the 'average consumer' and undermine the waste hierarchy, urging regulators like the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to require evidence based on 'real world conditions' to substantiate these claims.

• The vast majority of plastic packaging is not recycled; in 2019, 91% of global plastic waste was incinerated, landfilled, burnt in open pits, or dumped into the environment.
• Plastic recycling claims, particularly those using circular loop symbols or phrases like '100% recyclable', mislead consumers by implying a closed-loop system that does not exist for plastics, as the material degrades during recycling and only delays final disposal.
• Soft plastics have very low recycling rates due to technical barriers and a lack of infrastructure. An investigation into supermarket collection schemes at Tesco and Sainsbury's found that 70% of tracked soft plastic waste that reached a final destination was incinerated or burnt as fuel.
• The plastic industry has internally recognized since the 1970s that recycling is technically and economically unfeasible at scale, despite public campaigns promoting it as a solution.
• Under EU and UK consumer protection law (such as the UCPD and CPR), environmental claims must be truthful, substantiated by 'real world conditions', and not omit material information that would influence a consumer's transactional decision.
• Plastic recycling claims subvert the 'waste hierarchy', which legally prioritizes waste prevention and reuse over recycling, and recycling over energy recovery and landfill.
• Consumer research indicates that the 'average consumer' trusts recycling claims and believes that if packaging is disposed of correctly, it will be recycled and the environmental impact will be adequately mitigated.
• The briefing recommends that the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) require supermarkets to substantiate soft plastic recyclability claims with real-world evidence and modify claims that cannot be proven.

APA

ClientEarth (2024). Plastic recycling claims are misleading consumers. https://www.clientearth.org/media/axpg2poo/2024-10-01-recycling-claims-briefing-final-published.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Plastic recycling claims are misleading consumers. 2024. https://www.clientearth.org/media/axpg2poo/2024-10-01-recycling-claims-briefing-final-published.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=Plastic recycling claims are misleading consumers |date=October 2024 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/axpg2poo/2024-10-01-recycling-claims-briefing-final-published.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2024plastic, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Plastic recycling claims are misleading consumers}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/axpg2poo/2024-10-01-recycling-claims-briefing-final-published.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }