Problem Plastic: How Polyester and PET Plastic Can be Unsafe, Unjust, and Unsustainable Materials

Worldwide production of all petrochemical plastics exceeded 475 million metric tons in 2019. That’s more than the combined weight of the nearly 8 billion people on planet Earth. The petrochemical industry wants to double plastics production again by 2040. 

Defend Our Health believes the solutions to the problems of PET plastic and polyester are intertwined. Parallel actions should be pursued that phase down the use of fossil carbon and toxic chemicals, while simultaneously increasing recycled content and the use of renewable carbon. Radical transparency in information must be made available in all supply chains and will help drive down demand for petrochemical plastics. The goal is that all solutions should be non-toxic, climate-friendly, and environmentally just.