Plastic production is a major sustainability problem, due to the use of petroleum and carbon emissions, as well as plastic pollution. Sustainable alternatives to plastic are therefore emerging. For example biobased plasticscan be made from agricultural crops or plastic products could be replaced by paper. However, the production of these alternatives can have major consequences for land use. Environmental scientist Levi Helm (Arizona State University), together with Camille Venier-Cambron and Peter Verburg (Institute for Environmental Studies), investigated the potential impact of biobased plastics on land use, using a number of future scenarios. Their research was published in Nature Sustainability.
Land use in 2040
They used the land system model CLUMondo, which not only takes into account land coverage and land use, but also the intensity of land use. Using this model, they investigated different scenarios up to the year 2040. They assessed how agricultural land would need to be expanded or intensified if we were to switch from conventional to biobased plastics.
The study shows that the production of biobased alternatives to plastics needs to be carefully managed. If not, land use could change significantly, potentially increasing greenhouse gas emissions and negatively impacting areas important for global biodiversity. Increased demand for biobased alternatives could also lead to land use competition in areas where people are more directly dependent on local landscapes. This is particularly true for regions in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Subsistence-oriented economies and relatively insecure land rights could leave communities vulnerable to displacement.
Recycling
“Plastic pollution is a crisis that needs a clear and coordinated approach,” says Helm. “Our study shows that you cannot simply replace one product with another. This can undermine progress towards sustainability and enable corporate greenwashing.” He therefore believes it is important to minimize the impact of biobased alternatives on land use and to take local environmental and socio-economic factors into account. ‘Ultimately, the impacts of plastic can also be partly reduced by reducing the demand for plastic products and increasing recycling rates.’