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Sustainable Plastics

Examples of Leadership from the Auto Sector

Collectively, the best visions, goals, and actions among the six automakers represent a clear first step toward materials that sustain human health and natural ecosystems and away from plastics with negative environmental impacts.

The combination of Toyota's vision of recyclability and Ford's vision of sustainable materials creates a clear path toward sustainable plastics. Toyota's vision is simple and clear: use recycled material and renewable resources, reuse used parts, and reduce toxic substances of environmental concern such as lead (Toyota Environmental Report, 2003, p.36). Ford's vision is grounded in ecology: sustainable materials never become waste, but instead become "nutrients that either feed healthy soil or the manufacturing processes without moving down the value chain" (Ford Environmental Report, 2002, p.72).

The collective goals of the automakers encompass all of the elements of our definition of sustainable plastics, including:

using recycled content or renewable resources in plastic products (Toyota),
reducing PVC use (Toyota),
developing and using materials that are either technical nutrients (can be closed-loop recycled) or biological nutrients (can be composted into matter healthy for the soil) (Ford), and
using non-toxic materials (GM).

Significant activities by automakers include:

using polymers made from bio-based (i.e., renewable) materials (Toyota, DaimlerChrysler, and Ford),
using recyclable plastics that consist of polyolefins and not PVC (Honda, Nissan, Toyota, and Opel/GM),
using plastic products with recycled content (DaimlerChrysler, Honda, Toyota, GM, and Nissan), and
reducing PVC use (Toyota).

But no one company is doing enough.

If these six automakers moved quickly to adopt the leading goals and to implement the leading activities over the next three years, the auto sector would make significant strides toward sustainable plastics. But they're not there yet.

By adopting the Ecology Center and Clean Production Action's recommendations automakers can make significant advances that will lead to safer, more sustainable plastics.