Meet the New Plastic, Same as the Old Plastic

While the continued growth of the plastics sector is a major sustainability risk for companies amid society’s calls to phase out fossil fuels, replacing them with bioplastics is not the answer (“Plant-Based Plastics Expand as Firms Chase Green Goals,” Banking & Finance, Aug. 18). In a changing climate that is already straining the agricultural sector, increasing bio-based plastic can compete with food production, drive deforestation and increase the use of fertilizers—all of which worsen the climate.

And we must remember that bioplastics—despite their catchy, green-sounding name—are still plastics. Many behave the same way as fossil-fuel-derived plastics in the environment, contributing to the plastic-pollution crisis. They accumulate and often don’t biodegrade. They leach chemicals. They break up into the microplastics found in our food, air and bodies. In the ocean, they entangle and suffocate animals. Changing the feedstock for plastics won’t solve this problem: We have to start by making and using less.

Aarthi Ananthanarayanan

Ocean Conservancy

Washington