Polymer Premium

Chemicals of Concern

Frequently asked questions

Plastics and Human Health

What are plastics?

Plastics are solid materials that use synthetic or semi-synthetic polymers (large molecules) as their main ingredient, with various chemicals added to make them hard or soft, UV-resistant and so on.

Plastics are used to make all kinds of things because they can be shaped into just about anything and will generally last a long time.

They are generally very cheap, light weight, and can be created much faster than other materials like steel and wood.

Some plastics are components of other materials, for example there are plastic coatings inside food cans, and there are plastic components in many paints.

Why are plastics harmful?

When we throw away a piece of timber, it can rot and become soil again within a few years.

But rather than breaking down, plastics break up - fracturing into smaller and smaller particles (called micro or nano-plastics). Items can take hundreds or even thousands of years to fully degrade.

Plastic particles can be harmful to our bodies and the planet because they can leach out the very chemicals used to make them useful.

There is a large body of evidence linking some commonly used plastic chemicals that we know humans are exposed to with increased risk of serious health issues in children, including reduced birth weight, genital malformation, neurodevelopmental disorders, obesity and insulin resistance. For more information on these health harms see the Plastic Health Umbrella Review.

These chemicals can also impact your child’s future life as they are also linked to obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and fertility issues in adulthood.

Most alarmingly, we are only just beginning to understand the impacts plastics can have on our bodies and planet, where every living thing is connected.

Are all plastics harmful?

Potentially. But it’s also a bit more nuanced than that.

As well as plastic pollution being a real issue, human health harms stem from some of the very chemicals used to make plastics as useful as they currently are for us.

How can I protect myself, my loved ones, and the planet?

The quickest way you can protect against any harmful impacts of plastics is to reduce your use of and exposure to them.

However, that’s easier said than done, with plastics in just about everything – even tin cans!

You can make choices like swapping out plastic food containers and utensils for ones made of wood, glass, metal, or ceramic, and cutting out as much plastic from your life as possible.

But we think everyday consumers like you should not bear the individual responsibility of protecting your health or your child’s health from the dangers of plastic, or addressing the global plastics crisis.

Ultimately, to truly reduce the harmful impacts of plastics, we need governments and industries around the world to drive change – which is why Minderoo Foundation supports the Global Plastics Treaty.

Plastics are useful - can we just recycle more?

Recycling plastics again and again doesn’t solve the real problem – that plastic is harmful.

Petrochemical companies say that recycling and reducing consumer demand are sufficient responses to this crisis. This is a fallacy. We cannot recycle our way out.

All recycling does is push the solution to the problem of plastics a little further down the road.

Only a small percentage of plastic items are recycled, and recycled plastics have been shown to contain more hazardous chemicals than virgin plastic.

So, just as we stopped putting lead in petrol and CFCs in fridges, we think it’s time many plastics (especially those made with chemicals of concern) were cut out too.

The Global Plastics Treaty

What is the Global Plastics Treaty (GPT) and why is it important?

The Global Plastic Treaty is an international agreement currently being negotiated by around 175 countries to end plastic pollution at every stage of the material’s lifecycle, from manufacturing to disposal. 

The GPT is designed to help every signatory nation find a way to reduce and then stop plastic pollution (of people and the environment) – recognising that every country and economy has different needs.

The GPT commits signatories to reducing plastic usage and plastics manufacturing, stronger regulations for harmful chemicals of concern and a “polymer premium” to make plastic producers pay more for creating their products.

Each nation can use the GPT to support plastics reduction efforts best suited to their needs.

At the same time, the GPT also creates a standard global framework that every signatory country can work through, so efforts are coordinated and effective.

The GPT is important because plastic and recycled plastic is harming your child’s health - we need to act now because if we don’t the health and financial impacts will continue to grow.

What does Minderoo Foundation want included in the Global Plastics Treaty?  

Minderoo Foundation is advocating for a dynamic and ambitious global plastics treaty which

· Protects our children’s health, their future and the environment
· Provides industry certainty; and
· Supports a fair transition for all

There are only two things we need in the treaty to deliver this:
· a polymer premium; and
· comprehensive regulation of chemicals used in plastic manufacturing.

What are chemicals of concern?

When we say a chemical of concern, we are talking about a chemical used in plastic which has the potential to be released and is hazardous because of its:

1. toxicity or ability to disrupt our hormones;
2. tendency to take a long time to break down;
3. ability to accumulate in (or continuously enter) our bodies; or
4. ability to travel easily through the environment in combination with 1 or 2 or 3 above.

Examples of chemicals of concern include the five groups Minderoo Foundation’s Umbrella Review found extremely alarming and deeply concerning evidence of harm for: bisphenols - BPA specifically, phthalates (commonly used plasticisers), PCBs and PBDEs (flame retardants) and PFAS.

What is the Polymer Premium and why do we need it?

A $350 - $500 billion finance gap exists between our ambition to protect children’s health and the environment and the current funding sources available.

To make up the shortfall, Minderoo Foundation is arguing for a small fee to be imposed on producers of primary plastic polymers. The fee would be charged per tonne of primary plastic polymer produced.

This contribution of between 6-8 cents on a kilogram of polymer, holds the power to underwrite comprehensive waste management systems, support a just transition for waste workers, remediate legacy pollution, and mitigate the dire human health impacts of this crisis.

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