Understanding the Unintended Consequences of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act
Proposed legislation would curb critical innovation needed to improve America’s infrastructure and sustainability efforts
America’s Plastic Makers® agree: Plastic waste in the environment is never acceptable. But the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act (BFFPP) won’t help solve America’s plastic waste problem – far from it. Instead, this proposed legislation would stall efforts to address plastic waste in the environment and limit the essential role plastic plays in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If enacted, this bill would:
- block advanced recycling technologies, which allow us to recycle significantly more types and greater amounts of plastic to create new products and provide well-paying jobs;
- restrict availability of the very products needed to combat climate change, such as wind turbines, solar panels, and electric vehicles, as well as the lightweight plastics that make our cars and homes dramatically more energy efficient, which significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions;
- result in shortages of essential materials used throughout the medical supply chain to fight the pandemic, including face masks, shields, medical gowns, syringes, and sanitary packaging; and
- “pause” the production of plastic, resulting in supply chain disruptions that would impede America’s manufacturing resilience and our ability to bounce back economically after crises, such as the current pandemic.
“Plastic in the environment is never acceptable. But after careful analysis of the legislation, we have concluded it won't end plastic waste, but rather end the American plastics industry by restricting the production of modern and innovative plastic materials, domestic supply chains would be disrupted and force businesses to search for alternatives that may not be available.”
Joshua Baca shares that burdensome legislation is not the solution to #EndPlasticWaste #BreakFreePOV
“Advanced recycling…[is] happening right now in states like Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, and we need policies that accelerate, not pause on these recycling innovations. We won’t be able to meet our ambitious circular economy if the provisions in this bill are adopted.”
Haley Lowry discusses the growing popularity of advanced recycling and circularity #BreakFreePOV
To learn more about our perspective and those of other opinion leaders and industry professionals on why this legislation is not a viable option to promote circularity, check out the videos below:
Break Free From Plastic ACC Press Conference
Unintended Consequences of Break Free From Plastic Pollution Bill
NEWS AND RESOURCES:
- From Single Use to Reuse, Innovation is Key to Reducing Plastic Waste, March 25, 2021
- Resource Recycling, Federal plastics proposal returns this week, March 23, 2021
- Plastic News, ACC to Washington: Don't block chemical recycling, March 23, 2021
- Recycling Today, Coalition says ‘Break Free from Plastic’ bill has unwelcome consequences, March 24, 2021
- Roll Call, Democrats’ corporate responsibility bill targets plastic waste, March 24, 2021
Speaking up for change
Read more about how we’re promoting a circular economy for plastics.