On December 3, 2025, Greenpeace USA announced the release of their report titled “Plastic Merchants of Myth: Circular claims fall flat.” The document examines campaigns used by the plastics and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industries to promote the idea that recycling can effectively address plastic pollution (FPF reported).
The authors highlight evidence showing that plastic recycling has never operated at the scale required to meaningfully address global plastic pollution, and that focusing on recycling has diverted public attention away from the role of producers in generating plastic waste.
Industry campaigns on plastic recycling
On top of providing a short history of plastic and plastic recycling campaigns, the report also maps key industry stakeholders and details techniques and strategies applied by such players to promote plastic recycling.
Several statements from industry representatives about plastic recycling are cited. Larry Thomas, former head of the Society of the Plastics Industry, stated in 1989: “If the public thinks that recycling is working, then they’re not going to be as concerned about the environment.” A 1994 comment attributed to ExxonMobil, a major plastic producer, reads: “We are committed to the activities but not committed to the results.”
In 2024, the State of California filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil alleging misleading claims about the recyclability of plastics. The lawsuit argues that a small group of petrochemical companies promoted mechanical recycling beginning in the 1980s as a comprehensive solution to plastic pollution, enabling continued growth in plastic production.
Current plastic recycling capabilities in the US
Greenpeace USA assessed current recycling capacity in the US. According to the report, up to 43% of households lack access to basic recycling services, and only 46 of the country’s 380 municipal recycling facilities can process common consumer plastic packaging. According to government data, 5% of plastic waste is recycled annually (FPF reported and here).
The report further evaluates the potential for advanced chemical recycling technologies. It concludes that these processes face significant technical and economic limitations (FPF reported). Only one of six advanced recycling facilities can handle mixed post-consumer plastics. The authors add that, even at full operational capacity, these facilities would not achieve the 60% recycling rate required by law in some jurisdictions.
Plastic and plastic recycling impacts health
In addition to assessing technologies and infrastructure, the report challenges several common “myths” about plastic recycling. One of the claims is that life cycle assessments (LCA) consistently demonstrate environmental advantages for plastics compared to alternative materials. These results typically stem from LCAs that focus only on calculating and comparing greenhouse gas emissions (FPF reported). While these are key drivers in climate change, ignoring other known impact areas plastics contribute to such as human health and environmental toxicity paints an incomplete picture.
In general, health is an underappreciated factor when discussing plastic recycling (FPF reported and here). “Creating safe, food-grade recycled plastic is infeasible using the vast majority of post-consumer plastic feedstocks, and even the limited amount of recycled PET used in beverage bottles today has been found to have health risks”, the Greenpeace authors write, challenging another common claim that recycled content reduces plastic waste and pollution.
What now?
Greenpeace USA concludes by calling on companies, governments, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to transition away from single-use plastic packaging and food-service items. They emphasize the importance of accurate and transparent communication about recycling. The report also calls for strong international policy measures, including a robust UN global plastics treaty, to address systemic drivers of plastic pollution (FPF reported).
References
Greenpeace USA (December 3, 2025) “Plastic Merchants of Myth: Circular claims fall flat.”
Tanya Brooks (December 3, 2025) “Merchants of myth: New report exposes plastic recycling as costly failure.” Greenpeace USA
