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As the world strives to wean itself off fossil fuels, oil companies have been turning to plastic as the key to their future. Now even that's looking overly optimistic.
The global crackdown on plastic trash threatens to take a big chunk out of demand growth just as oil companies like Saudi Aramco sink billions into plastic and chemicals assets. Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc, Total SA and Exxon Mobil Corp. are all ramping up investments in the sector.
Renewed emphasis on recycling and the spread of local bans on some kinds of plastic products could cut petrochemical demand growth to one-third of its historical pace, to about 1.5% a year, said Paul Bjacek, a principal director at consulting firm Accenture Plc.
Maybe they can convince consumers to accept clamshell packaging for everything.
(Score: 4, Informative) by FatPhil on Thursday June 06 2019, @09:17AM
Like either of those will ever happen. Having said that, I've returned a small pile of brown paper bags to my local beer shop a few times, so at least some of them are getting more than one use.
The spare plastic bags I keep in the side pocket of my rucksack have been there for a few years, and have been used a dozen or so times. There's nothing intrinsically demonic about plastic bags, as long as you're prepared to pay the same attention to their use as you would to brown paper bags or bags for life. "Doing your bit for the environment" most sensibly means "using the plastic bag 30 or so times, and when it's lost its integrity, disposing of in in the 'plastics only' recycling bin".
This is one of those religious green issues, where alas far-from-ideal idealistic woo-woo reigns supreme.
Oh, 173: https://fee.org/articles/banning-plastic-bags-isnt-just-bad-economics-its-bad-for-the-environment/
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