The Environmental Paradox of Replacing Plastic with Paper

Climate change and pollution: The Paper and plastic paradox.

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As the world’s governments work on developing a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution by the end of 2024, replacing single-use plastic with single-use paper might seem like a straightforward solution. However, the reality is much more complex, revealing a deeper environmental paradox.

Plastic was developed to protect nature and reduce dependency on paper. As the tables turned, plastic itself became an environmental threat, prompting us to return to paper. Yet, as it turns out, paper isn’t the perfect solution we hoped for either.

From Teabags to Plastic Credit Cards: The Shift From Paper to Plastic

First, let’s take a brief look at the history behind the origins of the two materials.

Paper was an accidental invention in the 2nd century BCE in China. A residue was formed after clothes made of hemp were left soaked for too long after washing. This rooted the idea of primitive paper types.

Long before paper was used for writing purposes, it found its use for wrapping and packaging bronze mirrors and poisonous medicines in China. It was also used to make teabags, paper cups, and napkins.

Paper soon started moving west. The earliest records consist of five letters written in Sogdian (an extinct Eastern Iranian language) dating back to the sixth century. Meanwhile, paper even started getting used as a banknote in China in the seventh century.

Paper was then discovered by Muslim merchants trading on the Silk Road in the eighth century. A paper mill was soon set up in Baghdad. The spread of Islamic culture further introduced paper to Damascus, Tripoli, Hama, Yemen, and Egypt. Paper first reached Europeans in the 13th century.

Even as paper had been essential to our civilisation, it carried its own environmental burdens.

Paper is easy to shape and lightweight, but it doesn’t last long and is made from wood obtained from tree felling. Other alternatives, like bones, horns and fangs, harmed animals and didn’t prove to be viable solutions either.

In 1869, a New York firm offered $10,000 to anyone who could provide a substitute for ivory billiard balls (and thus save elephants). That’s when John Wesley Hyatt invented the first synthetic polymer. The discovery of plastics was a step towards preserving the natural world.

During World War II, the US plastic industry increased by 300 percent. To preserve scarce natural resources, plastics were used to replace more expensive paper, metal and glass materials used to produce body armor, parachutes, ropes, helmet liners, and more.

After the war, plastics emerged as a saviour. While the production of paper chopped down the trees, plastic was a synthetic solution made using fossil fuels. It was easy to mold, shape, and recycle.

It soon started replacing traditional materials — wood in furniture, paper and glass in packaging, and steel in cars. It even started replacing paper currency.

The first plastic credit card was issued in 1959 by American Express. And the first plastic bag was introduced in 1965 as a replacement for paper bags to save trees.

A Turn We Were Not Prepared For

The initial promise of plastic as an environmental saviour quickly turned into a threat.

Scientists studying plankton noticed the first traces of plastic pollution in the ocean in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Fast-forward to today, plastic is defeating the purpose it was initially introduced for. A Science Advances study revealed that every 1 percent increase in plastic production leads to a 1 percent increase in plastic pollution in the environment.

According to estimates, only 9 percent of all plastic waste generated globally gets recycled. The rest, 91 percent, is either burned at incinerators, buried in landfills or enters water bodies.

About 33 billion pounds of plastic enter the oceans every year, with 11 million metric tons currently residing on the ocean floor.

Given the environmental challenges of single-use plastics, many companies and organisations are now considering single-use paper as a viable alternative.

While paper is recyclable and biodegradable, it introduces its own set of issues.

Single-use paper products like food packaging and paper cups contain toxic chemical substances that are harmful to humans and the marine environment.

Paper food packaging, such as paper cups, contains a plastic coating, making it a prime candidate for plastic and paper pollution. Paper straws are no better.

While they may not linger in the environment for 200 years, they contain chloropropanols, which are potentially carcinogenic to animals and humans. Researchers in Belgium found that straws from most brands contain forever chemicals like PFAS that can remain in the environment for decades.

A 2005 Scottish Report concluded that paper bags are more harmful to the environment compared to plastic bags.

Paper bags absorb water and lead to atmospheric acidification and eutrophication of water bodies. Furthermore, paper bags are at least six times heavier than plastic carrier bags, thus needing more transport and its associated costs.

This also means that paper bags will take up more room in a landfill site if not recycled. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has identified the paper industry as one of the 20 most polluting industries because of the unprocessed chemical discharge that it releases into water bodies.

A recent study published in the journal Nature found that India contributes to one-fifth of the global plastic pollution, becoming the highest plastic polluter in the world.

So, How Do We Break the Cycle?

Simply replacing plastic with alternatives is rarely the answer.

Most substitutes are heavier, leading to higher emissions during production and transport. Biodegradable options, on the other hand, release even more emissions when they break down.

The issue isn’t about choosing one material over another – it’s about fundamentally reducing emissions, if not eliminating them.

The real solution lies in extending the life of products. A plastic bottle used twice will produce significantly fewer emissions than one used once and discarded. This principle holds true for all materials, whether plastic, metal, ceramic, or new-age alternatives like seaweed and other bioplastics.

The focus should be on designing for reuse, ensuring products are durable, affordable, and hygienic. To break free from our disposable culture, policies must shift away from single-use products and instead incentivise a more sustainable mindset, one that values longevity over convenience.

How Various Nations Are Paving the Way for Change

Germany has been one of the global leaders in recycling, with 56 percent of its trash recycled in 2022.

This success stems from innovative strategies like the Green Dot System, which mandates manufacturers to place a green label outside of packaging, indicating that recycling facilities accept it. More than 460 billion packages today come with the Green Dot.

Another effective strategy is the Deposit Refund System (DRS), used in countries like Germany, South Australia, and various US states.

Under this system, bottles that can be recycled are labeled accordingly. When purchasing them, consumers are required to pay a deposit, which is reimbursed when the empty bottle is returned to the retail store.

Sweden offers another impressive example, having reformed its tax system in 2017 to let people have cheaper repairs on used items.

Fast fashion brand H&M in Stockholm has allowed customers to transform unwanted garments into new pieces through a garment-to-garment recycling system since 2020.

The country has had a can-and-bottle deposit system, called the “pant system”, since 1984, such that the Swedish language has its own verb for recycling – panta. Talk about cultural integration!

As we approach the end of 2024, it’s time to break free from the endless debate between paper and plastic and embrace more sustainable alternatives.

Ironically, both materials – once symbols of commerce and civilization – now represent an environmental debt we can no longer afford to ignore. The true solution doesn’t lie in swapping one material for another but in rethinking the way we consume altogether. The first step may be as simple and as profound as giving up our disposable habits.

(Nikita is an environmental advocate who writes about climate change and sustainable living, seeking to inspire meaningful change.)