Because plastic is uniquely lightweight, durable, and cost-effective — crucial for things like medicine, food safety, electronics, and infrastructure.
Alternatives like glass, aluminum, or paper may have a higher carbon footprint across their lifecycle and often require more energy to produce and transport.
Most plastic today isn’t recyclable due to contamination, resin complexity, and poor economics. We need innovation and regulation to make plastic more recyclable and circular. We also need to prioritize refill and reuse solutions in order to keep plastic out of the waste stream altogether.