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The Chemical Afterlife of Plastic: When Recycling Carries Yesterday’s Toxins into Tomorrow’s Products

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P lastic recycling is widely recognised as an important strategy for reducing waste, conserving resources and supporting the transition towards a circular economy. The principle appears straightforward: collect discarded plastic, process it and transform it into new products instead of allowing it to accumulate in landfills or the natural environment. However, there is a less visible dimension to this process that deserves greater attention. Recycling a plastic object does not necessarily mean that all the chemicals associated with it disappear. A plastic bottle, food container, electrical component or household product is rarely made from polymer alone. Commercial plastics contain complex chemical formulations designed to improve flexibility, durability, colour, thermal stability, resistance to sunlight and other functional properties. During their lifetime, these materials may also accumulate substances from food, detergents, industrial chemicals, pesticides and environmental contami...
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Scope 4 Emissions: A Comprehensive Guide to Avoided Emissions, Climate Accounting, Life-Cycle Assessment, and the Risks of Greenwashing

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C limate accounting traditionally focuses on the greenhouse gases associated with a company’s operations and value chain. This is essential: organizations need to measure the emissions they generate directly, the emissions associated with purchased energy, and the emissions connected to their suppliers, products, and other business activities. Yet this approach does not, by itself, fully describe the potential climate benefits of products and services that help other organizations or consumers reduce their emissions. Consider a manufacturer that produces energy-efficient industrial motors. The manufacturing process generates greenhouse gas emissions, and those emissions belong in the company’s conventional carbon accounting. Once installed, however, the motors may consume less electricity than conventional alternatives. Depending on how the electricity is generated, that reduction in consumption may prevent additional emissions from occurring. The manufacturer therefore has two distinc...
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Location: India
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