Misinformation: Within the Context of Plastic Pollution

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With misinformation rising and currently identified as one of the most urgent global risks for 2025, (threatening societal cohesion, trust in government, and our ability to cooperate during a crisis), our response to managing environmental threats, like plastic pollution, complicate and weaken.

The growing threat of plastic pollution underscores how fragile our relationship with the planet has become. Yet, as the public becomes more aware of this crisis, a different threat emerges: greenwashing.

Greenwashing is a marketing strategy by corporations. It refers to the deceptive practice of companies presenting themselves or a product as being more environmentally friendly than they actually are. It preys on good intentions, making consumers believe they are supporting sustainability when they are not. Within the context of plastics, it does not simply mislead - it stalls progress by masking the root of the problem (e.g. consumerism).

Greenwashing may appear when products are labeled as:

• Biodegradable Plastic

• Dissolving Plastic

• Recycled Plastic

• Bioplastic

• Compostable Plastic

  
  

As we become increasingly innovative, more materials emerge as promising solutions to oil based plastics, however, how can one tease these apart from oil-based materials when there are no regulations on how bioplastics are marketed?

It’s important to distinguish greenwashed products from genuine, eco-friendly, alternatives to plastics (mushroom mycelium or seaweed innovations, anyone?).

When choosing a material, consumers will need to consider:

• What percentage of this material is actually degradable and organic?

• Does it actually dissolve, or is it still simply breaking into microplastics?

• What environmental conditions does this material require to compost?

• How does recycling a plastic impact the quality/health implications of the material 

• Does biological sourcing mean the product is biodegradable or compostable? 

  
  

For the future, we are calling for regulations that restrict the use of these terms in the context of plastic pollution. However, real solutions to plastic pollution stop waste at the source. Engage with plastic-free principles - refill, repair, reuse, refuse, and advocate for systemic change.