Our survey proves it: recycling claims on plastic packaging are greenwashing us

What did the survey show? 

The majority of people think that plastic is bad for the environment. 

Over 70% of respondents in all surveyed countries said they viewed plastic packaging as harmful to the environment.  

But recycling claims make them feel that plastic is good for the environment. 

When plastic products feature claims like ‘fully recyclable’ or ‘contains recycled plastic’ on their labels, between 58% and 72% of consumers perceive them as not ‘harmful’ to the environment, not even just ‘neutral’ for the environment, but as ‘environmentally positive’.  

Recycling claims make the vast majority of people feel that the packaging will be recycled properly. 

A huge 80% of respondents in Poland and Germany, and 73-78% in the UK and France believe products with recycling logos will actually be recycled if properly disposed of.  

But this is simply not accurate. 

Read the full results here 

What’s the reality of plastic packaging recycling? 

The widespread belief that recycling solves the problems of polluting plastic would be fine, if it were true.  However, evidence shows that the perception of recycling being positive for the environment is simply wrong, as recycling cannot even make plastic’s impact on the environment neutral, let alone positive. 

There is no such thing as truly circular plastic, i.e. plastic that can be recycled in a continuous loop to avoid becoming waste. It’s true that recycling plastic is a better disposal solution than landfill or incineration, but it can never be sufficient for dealing with the sheer quantity of plastic that gets disposed of around the world. Recycling can only ever slow plastic pollution, not stop or reverse it.  

What makes matters worse is that more and more new plastic keeps being produced at a much faster rate than existing plastic is being recycled. Plastic production is expected to triple by 2060, and as it stands currently, only 9% of plastic ever made has actually been recycled. 

Recycling plastic is also limited by many known problems in global recycling infrastructure. Taking plastic water bottles as an example, a bottle’s ‘recyclability’ is not just determined by what it’s made of, but by the local infrastructure available at the location in which it’s put into a recycling bin. In the EU, the recycling rate for plastic bottles is approximately 50%, with only around 30% recycled into new bottles.  

This survey reveals how misleading recycling claims can be. Consumers are led to believe that plastic packaging is actually positive for the environment, but this hides the harsh truth that most plastic ends up in landfills, incinerated or discarded in nature. This doesn’t mean recycling is useless, but it does mean that we can’t have companies exaggerating recycling into a solution for plastic pollution. 

Kamila Drzewicka, ClientEarth lawyer

Why is plastic pollution a problem? 

Plastic waste is everywhere. Every day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic is dumped into the world's oceans, rivers, and lakes. Plastic production has doubled since 2000 and it is expected to triple by 2060 if no significant measures are taken, according to the OECD.   

Plastic is one of the leading causes of marine wildlife deaths, as whales, turtles, and other marine animals ingest or get entangled in it.   

A lesser-known consequence of plastic is the greenhouse gas emissions it is responsible for. Plastic is made from fossil fuels, so it emits carbon at every stage of production, worsening climate change. 

Find out more about the plastic pollution crisis. 

What is ClientEarth doing about plastic recycling greenwashing? 

These results clearly show that recycling claims, images and symbols on plastic packaging are misleading consumers into thinking that buying plastic packaged products is not having a harmful impact on the environment. By letting more and more plastic to be produced, the marketing is getting in the way of efforts to move away from plastic for good. 

We’re working hard to hold the companies responsible to account by: 

How did we get the results of this survey? 

To obtain the results of this survey, ClientEarth worked with leading market research firm Ipsos. Ipsos asked a total of 2,009 individuals, equally spread across the UK, Germany, Poland and France, a series of questions around their attitudes to plastic products and recycling claims. 

The data was then weighted to ensure that the composition of each country's sample accurately reflects the demographic profile (age, gender, region) of the 18-65 population, according to the most recent census data. 

The participants took part in this survey from 20-25th November 2024.