Resolution for 2020: Improve the image of plastics

Imagine you have $10 billion to spend on a new resin plant that will create more than 1,000 good jobs. But key community leaders make it clear that your project is not welcome.

Or you have a few million bucks to build a compounding factory in a small town in Ireland. You have family ties there, and you want to help the local economy with 40 new jobs. But residents use all their political clout to stop the project.

Those aren't imaginary scenarios. They happened to plastics companies in 2019. Negative public opinion about plastic was so widespread that some communities turned down, or at least fought to stop, investments by plastics companies that promised good jobs.

If your company doesn't make plastic straws or grocery bags, you might think you're immune to the ill effects of the single-use plastic debate. But negative public opinion is starting to cause real harm to the industry.

In 2019, when machinery companies reported slumping sales, they didn't just blame the economy. They cited the war on plastic, too.

The plastics industry has responded. More than 40 companies now support the Alliance to End Plastic Waste. More than 400 organizations have signed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.

On top of that, brand owners have announced plans to pursue a circular economy strategy for plastics. In most cases, that means making sure all their plastic packaging is recyclable, in addition to boosting their use of recycled plastic.

If these efforts are successful, the plastics industry will look a lot different 10 years from now. We'll see an industry with a better public image. We'll see an industry enjoying sustainable growth.

If they're not successful … well, I think the industry will look a lot different then, too. And it won't be pretty. The status quo isn't an option.

We've published our editorial agenda in the first issue of Plastics News every year since 2001, and we've been consistent in saying that safety must be every company's top priority. That includes keeping workers safe and making products that consumers can use with confidence.

Our agenda is the foundation for our weekly opinion columns, and it offers a blueprint for a prosperous and sustainable plastics industry. With the start of a new year, Plastics News updates and restates its editorial agenda:

• The industry needs to do more to highlight the benefits of plastics. We need to do more to encourage recycling. Americans, with the encouragement of the industry, have become too comfortable in their habit of throwing away used plastics. Now that bad habit has gone global.

• Profitability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive concepts; true sustainability will result in long-term health for the plastics industry.

• Consumers, regulators and legislators have a responsibility to deal with plastics-related issues without bias. Bans and taxes that encourage replacing plastic products with less sustainable alternative materials must be discouraged.

• Fairness and honesty should be key parts of business relationships. Would your mother be proud of the way you do business? If not, you'd better reevaluate your efforts.

• For too long, plastics have suffered from an image problem. The industry must combat misinformation by highlighting the benefits of plastics.

• Sustainability is a priority. Companies should consider sustainability when making decisions about resource utilization, including material selection and energy use.

• Recycling must be encouraged. The industry should support state and national bottle bills since bottle-deposit programs have proved effective in collecting a clean, valuable recycling stream.

• Companies and their leaders should take an active role in their communities and in trade groups. Local officials need to be aware of the plastics industry's size and importance, so they know that plastics are a significant employer and contributor to the local, national and global economies.

• The industry should speak with a unified voice. This requires cooperation at all levels of the leading trade associations, as well as international and regional groups and with business, consumer and environmental organizations.

• The free market is the best mechanism for raising the standard of living, encouraging democracy and rewarding hard work. Free trade encourages efficiency and inspires stability around the world. Government tax policies should motivate entrepreneurs and investors, help industry compete globally and strive for fairness.

• All sectors of the plastics industry must recruit and retain talented workers. That means paying a fair wage and offering attractive benefits. Having a well-trained and flexible workforce is a competitive advantage, so employers should support education and training. Employers also should embrace diversity in their workforces, including opportunities for women.

Loepp is editor of Plastics News and author of the Plastics Blog. Follow him on Twitter @donloepp.