The Biden administration has identified plastic pollution as one of the most urgent environmental challenges globally. In response, the federal government, being the largest purchaser of consumer goods worldwide, has announced plans to gradually phase out the procurement of single-use plastics.
Furthermore, the administration intends to implement more stringent regulations on plastic manufacturing processes. These regulations aim to address the release of greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants associated with plastic production.
Described as the first comprehensive strategy of its kind, these efforts are designed to reduce the demand for disposable plastic items. Simultaneously, they seek to foster a market for alternative products that are reusable, compostable, or more easily recyclable.
Brenda Mallory, the head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, emphasized that these changes will necessitate unprecedented action throughout the entire lifecycle of plastic. The federal government’s significant purchasing power is poised to influence the availability of these products substantially.
The focus on reducing plastic consumption reflects a growing acknowledgment that the world cannot solely rely on recycling or waste management to address the escalating plastic crisis. Global plastic production has surged dramatically, increasing nearly 230 times between 1950 and 2019, exceeding 400 million tons annually. Projections suggest that this figure could quadruple by 2050, with about 40 percent being single-use plastic, a major contributor to the planet’s plastic waste dilemma.
