Altman, writer and environmental sociologist
‘Plastic Unlimited uncovers the driving forces behind the global problem of plastic waste that is damaging ecosystems, undermining public health, and widening inequalities. Alice Mah’s incisive analysis shows that the current plastics predicament is not mainly a problem of weak waste management or poor consumer choices, but instead is driven by powerful corporations that dominate plastics production and use.’
Jennifer Clapp, University of Waterloo
‘With breathtaking originality, Alice Mah exposes why plastics are poisoning our planet. Governance is failing. And corporations are out of control. Everyone should rush to read this incisive, fiery analysis. These companies must be held accountable.’
Peter Dauvergne, University of British Columbia
‘Tracing plastics back to their petrochemical source, Plastic Unlimited presents an unflinching investigation into corporate responsibility for the plastics crisis. Mah convincingly argues that plastics consumption and climate change are interlinked, and offers strategies for confronting these fossil-fuelled crises through multiscalar activism.’
Jennifer Gabrys, University of Cambridge and author of Citizens of Worlds: Open-Air Toolkits for Environmental Struggle
‘This fantastic book is extremely informative, well written, and a must-read for anyone interested in the deeper roots of the plastics crisis.’
Frank Geels, University of Manchester
‘Plastic Unlimited is a vitally important book. It provides a cogent, nuanced, and resounding critique of the fossil fuel industry’s strategy to turn plastics into a saviour of global health, renewable energy technology, but, most of all, the industry’s bottom line. Read this book to understand how the climate emergency and plastics production go hand in hand.’
Josh Lepawsky, Memorial University of Newfoundland
‘Plastic Unlimited is an exquisitely useful book and a must-read for anyone interested in plastic pollution. Pulling back the curtain on concepts like lifecycle assessments (LCAs), the circular economy, net zero, and chemical recycling, Alice Mah reveals how each one has specific ingredients that align with the continued growth of plastic production. Academia has lagged behind NGO research and investigative journalism on the plastics industry, but Plastic Unlimited decisively ends that trend. It’s the book I’ve been waiting for!’
Max Liboiron, Memorial University of Newfoundland and author of Pollution Is Colonialism
‘Mah’s brilliant analysis reveals how the continuous growth of the petrochemical industry draws upon an imaginary circular economy of plastics that leaves aside “waste colonialism” and environmental injustices.’
Joan Martínez-Alier, Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA)
Plastic Unlimited
How Corporations Are Fuelling the Ecological Crisis and What We Can Do About It
Alice Mah
polity
Copyright Page
Copyright © Alice Mah 2022
The right of Alice Mah to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in 2022 by Polity Press
Polity Press
65 Bridge Street
Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK
Polity Press
101 Station Landing
Suite 300
Medford, MA 02155, USA
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4945-0
ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4946-7 (pb)
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021948544
by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NL
The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.
Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.
For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com
Acknowledgements
The idea for this book was sparked by reflecting on the continual expansion of global plastics production despite international efforts to tackle plastic pollution, the climate crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. I am grateful to Louise Knight at Polity Press for encouraging me to pursue this project and for working with me to help it take shape. I also thank the whole Polity team, particularly Inès Boxman and Justin Dyer for editorial guidance. From the beginning, I was filled with a sense of urgency at the invitation to delve deeper into the corporate roots and toxic consequences of the escalating plastics crisis.
I thank the Leverhulme Trust for providing funding to research and write this book through the Philip Leverhulme Prize. Some parts of chapter 3 are revised versions of work that was originally published in my article ‘Future-Proofing Capitalism: The Paradox of the Circular Economy for Plastics’, Global Environmental Politics, 21(2) (2021): 121–42, available open access, which received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement 639583) and the Leverhulme Trust.
Many thanks to two anonymous readers of the manuscript who provided generous and constructive feedback, particularly on nuancing the early history of plastics, the analysis of corporations, and the discussion of waste colonialism. I also thank two readers of the book proposal for their valuable advice on refining the corporate focus of the project. I gratefully acknowledge Nerea Calvillo and Sandra Eckert for offering helpful comments on early drafts, and David Brown for excellent research assistance. A big thanks to the Toxic Expertise research team for collaborative insights over the years into different aspects of the complex global petrochemical industry: David Brown, Thom Davies, Lorenzo Feltrin, Patricio Flores Silva, India Holme, Calvin Jephcote, Alexandra Kviat, Loretta Lou, Thomas Verbeek, Chris Waite, and Xinhong
