Plastic Offsetting- Why It’s Not the Solution to Plastic Pollution

It’s the middle of a long weekend here in France.

We spent two days in the countryside surrounded by hills and farms.

This week’s Friday Find is coming on Saturday.

The plastic theme continues. This time, it’s about plastic offsetting.

What is plastic offsetting?
Plastic offsetting is like carbon offsetting, but for plastic.
A company funds projects that recover or recycle the same amount of plastic it produces.
In simple terms: one ton made, one ton recovered.

Why does it matter?
This lets companies meet environmental targets without changing their production methods.
They can continue polluting while claiming balance.

The main problem
Plastic offsetting does not reduce a company’s plastic production.
It’s often a loophole that avoids real reduction efforts.
Greenwashing is common due to self-reporting and overestimated offsets.
Some schemes even burn plastic to claim offsets.

Plastic offset plans
New offsetting schemes are appearing quickly.
Promotions focus on being a “plastic solution” and a “friend of the planet.”
Some admit they are only temporary measures before moving to a circular economy.

Money in plastic offsets
Investment in offsetting projects can improve recycling and working conditions.
However, it doesn’t reduce the 380 million tons of plastic made yearly.
Only a small percentage of plastic waste is recycled, often just once or twice.
Offsets can also make governments slower to address plastic pollution directly.

Real solutions
The only real fix is to reduce plastic production.
Replace plastic with other materials where possible.
Focus on a circular system to keep resources in use longer.
If used, plastic offsets must have strict rules and third-party checks.
WWF says they can help only if strong, credible standards are in place.

Picture this: you pick up two pieces of plastic, but someone behind you drops two more.

Happy weekend! 🙌

(Sources: Time, WWF, SourceMaterial, Euronews, Relocalize, Plastics For Change)

…And if you want to read more about what I do in the climate space, then please do check out my services.