For decades, the plastics industry has promoted recycling despite knowing it was never a sustainable solution. Insiders now reveal the truth—and the urgent need for real circular alternatives.

It was the late 1980s, and the plastics industry was under fire.

Facing heightened public concern about ever-increasing amounts of garbage, the image of plastics was falling dramatically. State and local officials across the country are considering banning certain types of plastics to reduce waste and pollution.

However, the industry had a plan, a way to fend off plastic bans and maintain its sales growth.

It would publicly promote recycling as the solution to the waste crisis- despite internal industry doubts, from almost the beginning, that widespread plastic recycling could ever be economically viable.

The strategy- and doubts- are revealed in Plastic Wars, an upcoming investigative documentary from FRONTLINE and NPR.

In the documentary, three top executives who represented the plastics industry during that pivotal era speak publicly for the first time, shedding new light on the industry’s efforts to address growing concerns about plastic waste by promoting recycling.

“There was never an enthusiastic belief that recycling would ultimately work in a significant way,” Lewis Freeman, former VP of government affairs for what was then the industry’s chief lobbying group, the Society of the Plastics Industry, tells FRONTLINE and NPR in Plastic Wars.

The industry promoted recycling heavily anyway, relying on a simple strategy: “If the public thinks recycling is working, then they won’t be as concerned about the environment,” says Larry Thomas, who formerly headed the SPI.

However, as Thomas, the former SPI head, tells FRONTLINE and NPR, the primary plastic makers were aware that there wasn’t enough infrastructure in place for recycling to have a significant impact.

Internal documents uncovered by the reporting team support this. As this excerpt shows, one such SPI document warned that there is “serious doubt” that widespread plastic recycling “can ever be made viable on an economic basis”.

Sure enough, it hasn’t been. In all the years since the plastics industry mounted this recycling push, it’s estimated that no more than 10 percent of plastic produced has ever actually been recycled.

To learn more, watch “Plastic Wars.” From FRONTLINE producer Rick Young, NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan, and co-producers Emma Schwartz and Fritz Kramer, the documentary presents a powerful examination of how the plastics industry has utilized recycling to promote the sale of more plastic—and why the plastic waste problem has only worsened.

The Recycling Lie Is Out — It’s Time for Real Circular Solutions

As industry insiders confirm what many have suspected, one truth is clear: recycling alone was never designed to be effective. However, scalable, traceable solutions already exist—and they’re reshaping the future of plastic.

Klean Industries Is Leading the Transition:

✅ Commercial plastic pyrolysis for mixed & flexible plastics
✅ Production of sustainable fuels & feedstocks
✅ Traceability and compliance through KleanLoop™ blockchain tech
✅ Circular infrastructure for governments, brands & recyclers

Get in Touch with Klean Industries to deploy proven plastic waste solutions and drive transparency, profitability, and sustainability at scale » GO.