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Growing environmental footprint of plastics driven by coal combustion

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  • Livia Cabernard

    (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Ecological Systems Design
    Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP))

  • Stephan Pfister

    (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Ecological Systems Design
    Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP))

  • Christopher Oberschelp

    (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Ecological Systems Design)

  • Stefanie Hellweg

    (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Ecological Systems Design
    Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP))

Abstract

Research on the environmental impacts from the global value chain of plastics has typically focused on the disposal phase, considered most harmful to the environment and human health. However, the production of plastics is also responsible for substantial environmental, health and socioeconomic impacts. We show that the carbon and particulate-matter-related health footprint of plastics has doubled since 1995, due mainly to growth in plastics production in coal-based economies. Coal-based emissions have quadrupled since 1995, causing almost half of the plastics-related carbon and particulate-matter-related health footprint in 2015. Plastics-related carbon footprints of China’s transportation, Indonesia’s electronics industry and India’s construction sector have increased more than 50-fold since 1995. In 2015, plastics caused 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, 6% of global coal electricity is used for plastics production. The European Union and the United States have increasingly consumed plastics produced in coal-based economies. In 2015, 85% of the workforce required for plastics consumed by the European Union and the United States was employed abroad, but 80% of the related value added was generated domestically. As high-income regions have outsourced the energy-intensive steps of plastics production to coal-based economies, renewable energy investments throughout the plastics value chain are critical for sustainable production and consumption of plastics.

Suggested Citation

  • Livia Cabernard & Stephan Pfister & Christopher Oberschelp & Stefanie Hellweg, 2022. "Growing environmental footprint of plastics driven by coal combustion," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 5(2), pages 139-148, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natsus:v:5:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1038_s41893-021-00807-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41893-021-00807-2
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    2. Ogutu B. Osoro & Edward J. Oughton & Andrew R. Wilson & Akhil Rao, 2023. "Sustainability assessment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband megaconstellations," Papers 2309.02338, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2024.
    3. Solvej Lorenzen & Maike Gerken & Holger Steinmetz & Joern Block & Marcel Hülsbeck & Friederike Sophie Lux, 2024. "Environmental Sustainability of Family Firms: A Meta-Analysis of Handprint and Footprint," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 48(5), pages 1266-1284, September.
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    5. Marvin Bachmann & Christian Zibunas & Jan Hartmann & Victor Tulus & Sangwon Suh & Gonzalo Guillén-Gosálbez & André Bardow, 2023. "Towards circular plastics within planetary boundaries," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(5), pages 599-610, May.
    6. Jönsson, Oskar Martin & Presberger, David & Pfister, Stephan & Bernauer, Thomas, 2023. "How to estimate whether preferential trade agreements contribute to international environmental impact shifting. A new methodology and empirical illustration for Switzerland," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    7. Meng Jiang & Yuheng Cao & Changgong Liu & Dingjiang Chen & Wenji Zhou & Qian Wen & Hejiang Yu & Jian Jiang & Yucheng Ren & Shanying Hu & Edgar Hertwich & Bing Zhu, 2024. "Tracing fossil-based plastics, chemicals and fertilizers production in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    8. van der Merwe, Antoinette & Cabernard, Livia & Günther, Isabel, 2023. "Urban mining: The relevance of information, transaction costs and externalities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    9. R. Basuhi & Karan Bhuwalka & Richard Roth & Elsa A. Olivetti, 2024. "Evaluating strategies to increase PET bottle recycling in the United States," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 28(4), pages 916-927, August.
    10. Phoebe Koundouri & Angelos Alamanos & Angelos Plataniotis & Charalampos Stavridis & Konstantinos Perifanos & Stathis Devves, 2024. "Assessing the sustainability of the European Green Deal and its interlinkages with the SDGs," DEOS Working Papers 2405, Athens University of Economics and Business.
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