Shocking research reveals Australia’s use of plastic is causing an astonishing amount of carbon emissions.

The Australian Maritime Conservation Society and World Wildlife Fund published figures on Monday that showed Australia consumes plastic each year that is the equal to greenhouse gas emissions from 5.7 million cars.

That’s more than a third of registered passenger vehicles nationwide.

Only Singapore consumes more plastic on a per-capita (population adjusted) basis than Australia, the report found, while plastic emissions are set to double by 2050 without action.

Kate Noble, WWF Australia’s No Plastics in Nature policy manager, said Australia’s addiction to plastic is driven by convenience, with a move back to single-use during COVID also emerging as a factor recently.

“Unwanted plastic wrapping is pretty much everywhere,” Ms Noble said.

“During COVID a lot of cafes and people switched to disposables after reusables had started to become part of their normal lives.”

The WWF and AMSC report is a first of its kind study into the emissions associated with the production and disposal of plastics in Australia – including recycling.

AMSC plastics campaign manager Shane Cucow said the findings are “shockingly clear”.

“We already knew runaway plastic use is creating mountains of waste and pollution, killing millions of animals every year through entanglement or ingestion,” he said.

“Now we have clear evidence it is also fuelling global warming, which is endangering our entire marine ecosystem.”

Reduction is key

Ms Noble said an increase in recycling rates, though needed, won’t solve the problem either.

Instead, a massive reduction in plastic consumption is urgently needed.

If current trends continue then Australia’s plastic consumption will create 42.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2050 – almost 10 per cent of current annual total emissions nationwide.

Reducing Australia’s plastic consumption will be necessary for Australia to reach net zero by 2050.

“Plastic consumption is not the biggest contributor to Australia’s emissions, but it’s important for us to consider how it does contribute,” she said.

“Oil and gas companies are seeing plastic growth as a significant market for them.”

Mr Cucow said that plastic harms the environment twice over, polluting ecosystems and worsening the climate crisis.

“We must use less plastic, stop using fossil fuels to make it, and stop using fossil fuels as an energy source for plastic production and recycling. If we don’t, the emissions from plastic will only increase and exacerbate climate change,” he said.

Calls for ambitious targets

Ms Noble said Australia must cut its plastic consumption by 30 per cent through to 2040, arguing that mandatory targets are needed to force businesses to reduce their reliance.

The federal government is planning to implement packaging reforms that reduce the prevalence of plastic in supermarkets and retail stores, but Ms Noble said this approach isn’t ambitious enough and also must include targets for reuse and reduction of plastic consumption.

“If we wait for individual businesses or even whole sectors to make these changes it’s going to take too long,” she said.

The WFF and AMSC report finds that capping plastic production at current levels would drive a 40 per cent fall in related emissions by 2050.

If recycling rates are increased as well, total emissions could plunge by 70 per cent over the next three decades, the report found.

That would involve cutting plastic consumption by at least 10 per cent, ensuring all plastic that’s consumed is recycled and fully powering the production of plastics with renewable energy.