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Continuing from last week, where I took a closer look at Canada's new federal Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulation (SUPPR), the question remains: Will our ban on single-use plastics contribute any tangible benefit in the long-run, or is it all smoke and mirrors?

I am not a denier of climate change or of our human impact. I believe that we should all do what we can to leave a lesser environmental footprint throughout our lives. My concern, as with many issues, is where we are focusing our time, and energy. Are all our efforts producing the desired results or causing greater harm?

One key issue within the SUPPR is what we end up having as a replacement for current single-use plastic products. Although it may make us feel better to use paper straws over plastic ones or organic reusable cotton bags instead of plastic grocery bags, some of these replacements have greater negative environmental impact.

A study conducted by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency in 2018, looking at the life cycle of grocery bags, suggested that organic cotton bags would have to be reused 20,000 times in order to mitigate the environmental impact of a standard low-density polyethylene bag.

Other options such as non-organic cotton would require 7,100 uses, composite bags 870 uses, paper bags 43 uses, polypropylene bags 37 uses, and new polyethylene terephthalate (polyester) bags 35 uses while recycled polyester bags would require 96 uses.

It is clear that not every replacement for single-use plastic products is equal. The amount of energy, water, and fossil fuels to produce and ship some of these replacements actually make them more harmful overall than the plastic products they are meant to replace.

The SUPPR even details that the single-use plastics targeted to be banned, grocery bags, cutlery, food service ware, stir sticks, and straws accounted for 150,000 tonnes of plastic waste in Canada in 2019. A total of 29.6 million units were sold representing a $760 million dollar industry.

Meanwhile, only 7.9 million units of substitute single-use products were sold in 2019 and produced 256,000 tonnes of waste. These substitute products are not only costlier and heavier but also require paper and wood which puts a further strain on our forests.

Further than the environmental impact of replacements for single-use plastics, the six categories targeted under SUPPR only represent around 4 per cent of the total plastic waste generated in Canada.

So, what are we even doing here? We are targeting a small fraction of the problem of plastic waste while replacing single-use plastic products with an even worse substitute. When looking at the scope of Canada's plastics ban on a global scale, our overall impact is diminished further.

One of the most significant concerns continuously highlighted by environmental advocacy and within the SUPPR is the impact of plastic waste on our oceans and wildlife. Through public opinion research the SUPPR details that over 90 per cent of Canadians polled in 2021 are concerned with the impact of plastic pollution on our oceans and wildlife.

The Ocean Cleanup, headed by CEO Boyan Slat, has done extensive work researching the problem of plastics in our oceans. 1,000 rivers in the world contribute 80 per cent of the plastic waste reaching our oceans, mostly stemming from Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America.

Not only has Slat devised a harm reduction method for “turning off the tap” by stopping plastics from reaching the oceans but he has further begun removing historic plastic waste already in the oceans. The broader goal of Slat and The Ocean Cleanup is to remove 90 per cent of marine plastic waste by 2040.

Banning these easy and popular targets may make us feel good about ourselves. However, in the grand scope of the conversation, on a global scale, Canada's ban on single-use plastic products will have next to no positive impact and may cause more harm than good.

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