Plastic researchers demand ban on toxic chemicals
Plastic production must change to reduce harm to humans and the environment, according to a new research report published by Cambridge University Press in Cambridge Prisms: Plastics. Today's plastic pollution poses a serious threat to human well-being and planetary health.
Researchers are calling for a drastic reduction in the chemicals used in plastic production, as well as a complete ban on those harmful to both the environment and human health.
Bethanie Carney Almroth, researcher at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, emphasizes that most political discussions so far have only focused on the later stages of plastic’s lifecycle, such as recycling—an approach that addresses only a small part of the problem.
"To date, most policy negotiations have focused on the downstream aspects of the plastics lifecycle – how to reuse and recycle plastics, for example. However, before recycling of plastics can be considered a safe practice, the flaws in today’s plastics manufacturing systems must be addressed."
Plastics contain a vast range of chemicals, including monomers, polymers, processing agents, fillers, antioxidants, plasticizers, pigments, microbiocides and stabilisers. Moreover, the amounts and types of chemicals in plastics products varies, and there are few requirements for transparency and reporting. Daniel Slunge, researcher at the School of Business, Economics, and Law in Gothenburg, explains further:
"We need a global regulatory framework that ensures transparent and standardized information about the chemicals used in plastics. This is essential for designing effective policy measures and enabling safer and more sustainable reuse and recycling of plastics."
Research makes clear that human societies cannot rely on recycling alone to end the plastics pollution crisis. Currently, we need improvements upstream, midstream and downstream in the plastics life cycle.
"It is not enough to place the responsibility on consumers to recycle plastic products; we must change the entire system from the ground up. We need legislation, innovation, and a global effort to minimize the use of harmful chemicals. Only by taking decisive action can we protect both present and future generations from the harmful effects of plastics," concludes Bethanie Carney Almroth.
Full paper:
Carney Almroth, B., Carmona, E., Chukwuone, N., Dey, T., Slunge, D., Backhaus, T., & Karlsson, T. (2025). Addressing the toxic chemicals problem in plastics recycling. Cambridge Prisms: Plastics, 3, e3. https://doi.org/10.1017/plc.2025.1
Contact: Bethanie Carney Almroth (bethanie.carney@bioenv.gu.se)
- Improving reporting, transparency and traceability of chemicals in plastics throughout their full life cycle
- Advocating for chemical simplification and group-based approaches to regulating hazardous chemicals
- Implementing chemical monitoring, testing and quality control
- Creating economic incentives that follow the waste hierarchy
- Generating support for a just transition to protect people, including waste pickers, impacted throughout the plastics life cycle
