Clean Energy 101: Reducing Climate Pollution from the Plastics Industry

The plastics industry contributes 3.4 percent of global carbon pollution, driven by a reliance on fossil fuels for production. Decarbonization requires improved carbon accounting, increased renewable energy use, and a transition toward a circular economy to reduce emissions from both production and end-of-life disposal.

• Plastic production is a significant driver of climate change, utilizing approximately 12 percent of the annual global oil supply and generating 3.4 percent of global carbon pollution.
• Global primary production of plastics exceeds 350 million tons per year, with the Asia-Pacific region producing over 50 percent, followed by Europe (15 percent), the United States (15 percent), and the Middle East (12 percent).
• Decarbonization of the sector can be achieved through improved emissions data, the use of renewable energy, and the adoption of heat electrification technologies like electric crackers by companies such as Dow, Shell, BASF, SABIC, and Linde.
• Plastic end-of-life emissions may add 16 million metric tons of CO2e annually. Incineration, which handles about 25 percent of plastic waste, produces the highest carbon emissions, while mechanical recycling (16 percent of waste) has low emissions but suffers from insufficient infrastructure and economic incentives.
• A circular plastics economy aims to eliminate virgin plastic production from oil by using only recycled materials, though current supplies of high-quality mechanically recycled resins are insufficient to meet corporate demand.

APA

RMI (2023). Clean Energy 101: Reducing Climate Pollution from the Plastics Industry. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-101-reducing-climate-pollution-from-the-plastics-industry/

Chicago

RMI. Clean Energy 101: Reducing Climate Pollution from the Plastics Industry. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-101-reducing-climate-pollution-from-the-plastics-industry/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Clean Energy 101: Reducing Climate Pollution from the Plastics Industry |date=21 February 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-101-reducing-climate-pollution-from-the-plastics-industry/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023clean, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Clean Energy 101: Reducing Climate Pollution from the Plastics Industry}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-101-reducing-climate-pollution-from-the-plastics-industry/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }