The federal government is the world’s largest buyer of consumer goods, and the move could significantly impact the supply of these ubiquitous plastic products, according to an 83-page report outlining the administration’s plan. The administration also wants to impose stricter regulations on plastic manufacturers, a source of greenhouse gas emissions. The report highlights that more than 90 percent of plastic is made from fossil fuels.
By leveraging the federal government’s purchasing power, the administration hopes its efforts will help reduce air pollution, protect public health and shift markets toward more sustainable plastic alternatives.
“Addressing plastic pollution and its associated impacts will require unprecedented action at every stage of the plastic life cycle — from controlling pollution from petrochemical production… to redirecting infrastructure to ensure significant increases in recycling and reuse,” wrote Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Ali Zaidi, White House national climate advisor.
The move to reduce plastic use locally comes as the world tries to figure out how to manage the staggering plastic waste problem.
higher than 460 million tons of plastic The equivalent weight of more than 300,000 blue whales is produced each year, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Most of the plastic that ends up as waste is single-use products and can eventually pollute land, waterways and oceans. As the solid material breaks down in the environment, it creates microplastics — tiny particles less than five millimeters Which have been found everywhere from the snows of Antarctica to human bodies.
Countries are trying to hammer out the first global treaty to curb plastic pollution, and the United States has been a major player in those negotiations. One sticking point has been how to limit plastic production and consumption, with a handful of fossil-fuel-dependent countries opposing proposed measures that would, in part, limit the amount of plastic made.
Following Friday’s announcement, Ross Eisenberg, president of the American Plastics Manufacturers Association, a division of the American Chemistry Council, said the industry and the White House are aligned in wanting to prevent plastic pollution by “creating systems that enable plastic resources to be used over and over again.” The report points to the Biden administration’s efforts to take action on plastics that will help promote a “more circular economy.”
Among environmental groups, the new report represents a critical recognition of the need to address the problem of plastic pollution.
“The report makes very clear how serious and urgent this crisis is for our oceans, our climate and our communities,” said Anya Brandon, associate director of U.S. plastics policy at Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit organization.
“The fact that it calls for comprehensive action across the entire life cycle of plastic is a new recognition that we cannot solve this crisis without first taking action to reduce the amount of plastic we make and use in the first place,” Brandon said.
She added that the federal government’s commitment to phase out single-use plastics is a “huge” step.
“When they throw their weight behind something, we know they can change the market dramatically,” she said.
Kristi Levat, director of the plastics campaign at Oceana, an international human rights organization, largely agrees. She said the federal government’s purchasing decisions “can have a global impact.”
But Biden’s commitments come with a caveat: If former President Donald Trump returns to office after the November election, his administration is widely expected to roll back a number of environmental and climate rules.
Some environmentalists stressed the need to act and implement the decision after the announcement was made on Friday.
“While commitments are important, the ‘how’ is essential,” said Erin Simon, vice president and head of plastic waste and business at WWF, in a statement. The new report “provides the strategic analysis needed to achieve these goals.”
“We are pleased to see this report that does not shy away from the negative impacts of plastics on human health and analyzes the problem across the entire life cycle of plastics,” said Simon. “Cleaning up the global plastic mess must start from within. Today, under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, the US government is doing just that. The world is watching; now is the time for bold commitments and concrete action on plastics.”
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