Europe’s biggest plastics companies rely on stubbornly high use of toxic chemicals in their production, according to data released today, fuelling concerns that the industry is concealing hazards behind a green smokescreen of environmental marketing.
The dismal performance of Europe's industrial giants is revealed as negotiations for a global treaty to cut plastic pollution begin today in Busan, South Korea.
Plastics companies are in line with the rest of the global chemical industry on a range of indicators for the production and management of toxic chemicals, according to the annual ChemScore ranking of the world’s largest public chemical companies. But for five consecutive years, today’s data reveal, European plastics producers have lagged the rest of the world on their toxic footprint and shown zero improvement, while leading on innovation of safer and circular products.
Commenting on the data, the Financial Times reported today: “The EU consistently presents itself as an ambitious negotiator on climate and environmental matters. … But in Busan, the bloc’s industrial position might undermine that position.”
Sonja Haider, Head of Sustainable Finance at ChemSec, the chemicals watchdog behind the ranking, said: “European plastics companies are presenting themselves as investing in greener chemistry while doing little to lower their existing hazard profile.”
More than 16,000 chemicals are present in modern plastics, over one-quarter of which are known to be hazardous to human health and the environment. The annual health-related costs of toxic chemicals in plastics are estimated to be more than $330 billion globally.
“Hazardous substances can end up in the environment and human bodies, creating both biodiversity and human health risks and therefore exposing the producers to regulatory, litigation and reputational risks,” said Mariët Druif, Responsible Investment Officer for pensions manager Cardano.
“This could be financially material for both the company and its investors, and so we believe it’s important that companies actively start reducing those risks. Identifying and phasing out of hazardous chemicals in plastic polymers, along with transparency about how plastic producers are doing this, will be critical.”
Toxic portfolios
In this year’s ChemScore ranking, released in full on Thursday November 28, plastics companies based in Europe continue to make improvements to their overall score, while once again occupying last place for their portfolio of hazardous chemicals. Plastics producers in Asia and the Americas perform only marginally better in terms of their toxic portfolio.
“The world produces far too much plastic, and far too much of it contains toxic chemicals,” said Anne-Sofie Bäckar, Executive Director at ChemSec.
The ChemScore index reveals wide variations between individual companies, demonstrating that companies can successfully change their production practices.
Indorama Ventures, the Thailand-based plastics giant, has consistently placed among the top three chemicals companies globally for their management of toxic chemicals.
Yash Lohia, chair of Indorama’s ESG Council, said: “We place sustainability at the centre of everything we do, including how we develop our portfolio of sustainable products, our careful attention to minimizing hazardous chemicals in our processes, and investing in innovation to ensure our products meet increasing demand and industry standards for safer and greener products that take care of our environment and communities.”
ChemScore index: European plastic producers
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 5-year average | Rest of world* | |
| Toxic portfolio | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 2.8 |
| Green chemistry** | 4.4 | 6.6 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 7.1 | 5.1 |
* 5-year average for all chemicals producers
** Development of safer chemicals and circular products
For further information, please contact:
Sonja Haider, Head of Sustainable Finance, ChemSec
sonja.haider@chemsec.org
+49 89 810 59 380
David Crouch, communications officer, ChemSec
david@chemsec.org
+46 723 24 26 25
