Plastic isn’t just a convenience—it’s a language.
One spoken in labels, marketing claims, offset schemes, and circularity pledges. If you’ve ever picked up a product stamped with “eco-friendly,” “biodegradable,” or “net-zero plastic” and wondered, is this really what it says it is?—you’re in the right place.
The Plastic Truths series exists to decode those claims. It’s not about shame or blame—it’s about asking better questions. Each article in this series investigates how corporations, certification bodies, and policymakers have used clever phrasing, accounting loopholes, and half-truths to keep plastic production not only alive—but thriving.
We look beyond recycling bins and green logos to examine what’s actually changing—and what isn’t.
What You’ll Find in This Series
Each article is a deep dive into a specific narrative or tactic that has allowed plastic production to double since the 2000s—even as public awareness has grown. Here’s where we’ve gone so far:
- Plastic’s Hidden Casualties — The human cost of plastic production
- The Great Recycling Distraction — Why recycling was never the solution
- Rebranded Waste? — Why ‘biodegradable’ doesn’t mean sustainable
- Plastic Power — How policy and profit keep plastic flowing
- Chemical Recycling — When incineration gets a rebrand
- Net-Zero Plastic — What does it really offset?
- Bio-Attributed Polyethylene — A masterclass in accounting tricks
Each one challenges surface-level solutions and explores how green language is used to delay actual change.
Why This Series Matters
Plastic isn’t just an environmental issue. It’s an economic one. A political one. A health one. It sits at the intersection of industry narratives and policy gaps, where vague promises are often used to avoid hard decisions.
Understanding these patterns helps us:
- Recognize when a “solution” is really a stall tactic
- See how consumer trust is used to prop up harmful systems
- Demand better—not just greener—alternatives
You don’t need a chemistry degree to spot the spin. Just a willingness to read between the claims.
Series Update
The Plastic Truths series continues to grow. Here are the latest additions:
Plastic Policy Lobbying and Regulatory Loopholes
Update: Now published – How plastic-friendly legislation is shaped before it ever takes effect.
The Truth About Compostable Packaging
Update: Now published – Why green-labeled packaging often ends up in landfill anyway.
Who Really Benefits from Plastic Neutrality?
Coming soon.
How to Use This Series
Start anywhere. These are standalone deep dives, but together they build a clearer picture of how we got here—and how we might find a way out.
If you’re a journalist, educator, campaigner, or just a curious human trying to make informed choices, feel free to cite, share, and question what you find.
Because clarity isn’t the enemy of progress—it’s the beginning of it.
Further Reading
The following books are linked to Amazon.com for your convenience. If you decide to purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
Plastic Unlimited: How Corporations Are Fuelling the Ecological Crisis and What We Can Do About It [amazon.com]
By Alice Mah
How corporate messaging shaped plastic’s dominance—then greenwashed its consequences.
Plastic: A Toxic Love Story [amazon.com]
By Susan Freinkel
Explores the history, science, and cultural entrenchment of plastic, while questioning its place in our modern world.
The Plastics Paradox: Facts for a Brighter Future [amazon.com]
By Chris DeArmitt
An industry perspective arguing the benefits of plastic—worth reading critically to understand the full debate.
Book Review:
Plastic Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too [criticalmindshift.com]
By Beth Terry
A personal and practical guide for those ready to move beyond recycling and reduce plastic at the source.
We keep our articles short and to the point—not to tell you what to think, but to give you just enough to think for yourself.
We don’t publish to echo feel-good solutions. We publish to ask harder questions.
Critical thinking starts when we stop accepting the label—and start interrogating the system behind it.
Image acknowledgment:
We’re grateful to the talented photographers and designers on Unsplash for their beautiful, free-to-use images. The image on this page incorporates an illustration by Ian Mikraz, which was then combined into a custom graphic using Canva. You can explore more of Ian’s work here: https://unsplash.com/@ianmikraz/illustrations.
