Biden administration seeks cuts in single-use plastics purchases

President Joe Biden's administration is proposing a voluntary program that would encourage government agencies to reduce the amount of single-use plastics they buy, saying it wants to use the power of federal spending to push what it sees as greener packaging.

The Dec. 26 proposal from the General Services Administration, which oversees federal procurement, comes after conservation groups and some states had urged the Biden administration to take stronger steps and mandate single-use plastic reduction targets and reusable packaging goals for government agencies.

The GSA proposal is the latest step in a debate that started in 2022 when a coalition of 180 environmental groups petitioned the agency to use the federal government's influence as the world's largest buyer of goods and services — at nearly $700 billion a year — to push alternatives to single-use plastics.

The agency's plan appeared to leave all sides unsatisfied.

Industry organizations said GSA was unfairly targeting plastic and ignoring the negative impacts of other materials, while environmental groups said the agency's voluntary plan doesn't go nearly far enough.

Oceana, for example, said the proposal "falls short" because it lacks specific requirements around purchasing. It called on the Biden administration to mandate that agencies cut back on single-use plastic packaging in GSA contracts.

"The U.S. government could be one step closer to reducing its plastic footprint but missed the mark," said Christy Leavitt, Oceana's plastics campaign director. "The Biden administration must do more and set smart policies at the national level to reduce plastic pollution at the source and inspire the private sector to follow suit."

But plastics groups said GSA is unfairly focusing on plastics and ignoring the environmental impact of other materials.

"The General Services Administration's proposed rule to reduce plastic packaging in its procurement of goods is not backed by adequate scientific or administrative analysis and could result in unintended environmental and economic consequences," said Ross Eisenberg, president of America's Plastic Makers, a unit of the American Chemistry Council.

"Plastic packaging is the material of choice for many uses and often performs better than alternatives," he said. "Plastic is valued for its affordability, light weight and frequent ability to offer a lower life cycle GHG footprint compared to other forms of packaging."

The Plastics Industry Association said the GSA plan would raise costs for taxpayers.

"The administration's proposal by the GSA is shortsighted and will force the use of alternative materials that have a larger environmental footprint than plastic and cost taxpayers millions of dollars," it said. "Bans are not the answer — plastic products and packaging are the least environmentally impactful option in most applications where they are used and are often the material with the lowest carbon footprint, particularly if recycled."

The association estimated in a 2022 report that the government spends about $400 million a year on plastic packaging through GSA-related procurement and that replacing those goods with glass, aluminum and paper would increase costs by 75 percent.

On the other hand, the Center for Biological Diversity, which led the coalition of 180 environmental groups, called for stronger action from the Biden administration.

"Identifying single-use plastic is a tiny step in the right direction, and I'm glad the federal government responded to our petition," said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans program director at CBD. "Pointing fingers at the problem won't be enough to fight the plastic crisis. We need a full government ban on these harmful wrappers and containers to end the scourge of plastic pollution."

The eight-page notice published by GSA outlines a voluntary plan and does not include a lot of specific purchasing policy. It would require vendors in what's called the Federal Supply Schedule to specify if they offer single-use plastic free packaging.

It would also create a new icon for such products in the government's ordering systems.

GSA called its proposal an initial step, noting that it received thousands of written comments when it floated an informal proposal in July 2022 asking what it should do. That came a few months after it received the 33-page petition from the environmental groups.

In its more formal proposal in December, GSA noted low recycling rates for plastics and said packaging makes up 36 percent of plastic used.

The agency said it wanted to encourage a "new procurement norm" to reduce federal buying of "single-use, unrecyclable, difficult-to-recycle or frequently littered" plastic products.

"A large portion of plastic waste comes from plastic packaging alone, and much of this packaging is designed to be used only once," GSA said. "This rule represents a small step in addressing the larger problem of too much plastic waste."

But in weighing what procurement regulations to propose, GSA argued for a voluntary approach.

It said calls by some for the agency to help fix problems in recycling systems or advocate bio-based packaging were beyond its authority.

As well, it said federal agencies need flexibility in their purchasing decisions.

"A rule seeking a mandatory elimination of plastic packaging may not be a feasible solution depending on what is being procured," GSA said. "For some supplies, such as health care products, plastic packaging can be a beneficial material. This rule is not seeking plastic elimination as users of Federal Supply Schedules may have a need for a product packaged with single-use plastic.

"A rule that focused on reduction is preferable to alternatives such as recycling or mandatory elimination of plastic packaging," GSA said. "Given the different types of products that GSA procures, a rule asking for flexibility is the best method to keep costs down, while reaching a sustainable solution."

ACC urged GSA to focus on increasing access to plastics recycling in federal buildings and boost government buying of recycled-content products.

"Such a move would help lower the government's GHG footprint, increase the use of recycled plastics in new products and avoid additional costs to government and taxpayers — setting an example for other agencies and communities to follow," ACC said.

This latest GSA proposal seems very unlikely to settle the debate.

Members of Congress, for example, have previously written to GSA urging strong measures to phase out federal buying of single-use plastics, arguing that the federal government's massive purchasing power could help seed the market for alternatives.

The GSA is accepting another round of public comments by Feb. 26.

In its comment round in 2022, a group of Democratic state attorneys general urged GSA to phase-in specific targets to reduce unnecessary single-use plastic purchases by 2032, pointing to costs their states pay to dispose of plastic waste and the harm suffered by communities living near petrochemical plants.

To support its action, GSA also pointed to recommendations in May from its GSA Acquisition Policy Federal Advisory Committee, which urged quick action to develop a single-use packaging purchasing rule.

That committee said poorly designed or hard-to-recycle packaging increases the government's disposal costs.

"The committee implores GSA to assume an aggressive leadership role in crafting and implementing comprehensive action to reduce the U.S. government's reliance on, and consumption and use of, single-use plastics," it said, noting that a majority of the 60,000 comments GSA received on the 2022 proposal were in favor of moving forward with plastics purchasing rules.

The committee said GSA should work with EPA to identify standards and ecolabels to reduce plastic and other packaging materials in areas like foodservice and shipping.

It also urged GSA to limit buying of single-use plastic water bottles, bags and foodservice items in government buildings; push for recycled content in purchasing; and seek to eliminate materials like expanded polystyrene foam.

In its December proposal, GSA pointed to examples of companies reducing plastic packaging without harming the product or the customer's experience.

It said consumer electronics maker Apple reduced its plastic packaging by 75 percent between 2015 and 2021, including switching from molded foam packaging to corrugated cardboard in shipping.

"This indicates that not only is such a reduction achievable … [but also] it makes sense for GSA to identify ways to encourage the move towards SUP-free packaging," it said, referring to single-use plastic.