Energy & Environment — Study: Five companies responsible for a quarter of plastic pollution

Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter

View Online Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story  Five companies create a quarter of plastic pollution: Study Five companies are responsible for a quarter of all plastic waste worldwide, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances. © Kazi Salahuddin Razu, NurPhoto via Getty Images The study, conducted by the Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, involved surveys of plastic waste collected from 2018 to 2022.   Of more than 1.8 million pieces of waste collected, over 900,000 had visible branding. The researchers identified fewer than 60 companies as the source of the majority of global plastic waste, and five companies as the source of 24 percent of it.   Coca-Cola alone was the source of 11 percent of global branded plastic pollution, the biggest single contributor identified by the researchers. The other four biggest producers were, in order, PepsiCo, Nestle, Danone and Altria.   The study also found that for every 1 percent increase in plastic usage, its contribution to plastic pollution increases 1 corresponding percent.   It comes in the wake of a February report by an anti-plastic production group that the vast majority of plastics cannot be fully recycled and thus typically are consigned to landfills instead. A separate report from scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory indicated that the plastics industry releases up to quadruple the amount of planet-warming gases as air travel.   "The thing that really surprised me the most was the relationship between plastic production and plastic pollution," Win Cowger, a research director at the Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research and the lead author of the study, told The Hill in an interview.   Read more in a full report at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, I'm Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: 'Snow deluge' years on the decline across the US West, thanks to climate change: Study While climate change is in general increasing the ferocity and frequency of severe weather events, the same effects may not apply to the massive snow dumps that occasionally pummel the U.S. West.  Full Story Grizzly bears to be reintroduced to Washington state's North Cascades The National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday a decision to "actively restore" grizzly bears to the North Cascades region of Washington state.  Full Story Ancient 'Paleo' diet largely consisted of plants for some hunter-gatherers, study finds Prehistoric humans are often believed to have largely eaten meat — to the extent that proponents of many modern low-carb diets portray them as closely resembling humans' "primordial" eating style.  Full Story In Other News  Branch out with a different read on The Hill: 6 million health care workers call for stricter limits on global plastics Millions of health care workers around the globe are calling for world governments to put significant limits on the plastics industry. Full Story On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: The House Appropriations will hold a budget hearing Tuesday on the White House's fiscal 2025 Request for the Environmental Protection Agency.   The House Natural Resources Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing titled: "Examining the Influence of Extreme Environmental Activist Groups in the Department of the Interior." What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: Newsom to speak at Vatican climate summit (The Los Angeles Times) Once Unthinkable Nuclear Plant Revival Is a Reality in US Shift (Bloomberg)   Startups want to cool Earth by reflecting sunlight. There are few rules and big risks (NPR) What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Graham predicts Supreme Court will send Trump presidential immunity case to lower courts Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) predicted Sunday that the Supreme Court will send former President Trump’s immunity case back to the lower courts. Read more Texas governor says state will ignore 'illegal' Biden Title IX revisions Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Monday his state will not abide by the Biden administration's sweeping new changes to Title IX, the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination at government-funded schools. Read more Opinions in The Hill  Op-ed related to energy & environment submitted to The Hill: The '60s saw national teach-ins as a form of peaceful protest — it's time to bring them back    You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Energy & Environment page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe.