The plastic industry groups said GSA should take what’s called a life-cycle assessment approach to measuring the impact of plastics against other materials over the production, use and disposal of products, saying they felt it would show that plastics would mostly be the preferred material.
They pointed out that the Biden administration supports LCAs in other parts of its climate policy.
The other side in the debate, the attorneys general and environmental groups also supported LCAs.
But for them it meant more reusable packaging, and they urged the Biden administration to push federal buying in that direction, rather than only seeking replacement with single-use materials.
“Trading one single-use disposable product for another single-use disposable product made of different material may only create other problems,” the attorneys general said. “Opting for the reusable alternative will likely have the best environmental benefits.”
The Center for Biological Diversity, which was the lead filer on the February petition that started the GSA process, pointed to a 2021 study from the United Nations Environment Program that said reusables generally have lower environmental impacts than single-use products, regardless of the material.
“Phasing out single-use plastic items should not mean substitution of plastic for other single-use products,” CBD attorney Emily Jeffers wrote in a letter to GSA. “Instead, the GSA should prioritize reducing the consumption of ALL single-use products and packaging and transitioning to reusable and refillable products and packaging.”
The groups made other policy recommendations.
The attorneys general urged GSA to specifically say that single-use plastics are allowed in critical medical and safety applications, including to accommodate people with disabilities, in disaster recovery and for personal protective gear.
And the state agencies said GSA should be cautious around having the government buy compostable plastics, arguing that there are false advertising claims around compostability and a lack of local infrastructure. They also said some compostables can have a higher environmental footprint than plastic packaging.
The group Oceana said that since 40 percent of plastic is used in single-use applications and packaging, GSA should act fast.
“As the single largest consumer of goods and services in the world, the U.S. government’s purchasing choices can play a significant role in reducing plastic pollution and moving the economy away from unnecessary single-use plastic,” said Christy Leavitt, the group’s plastics campaign director.
In its submission, Oceana asked the GSA to decide that each of the 9,300 people who signed on to one of its filings be considered as making separate public comments.
