Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Plastic production is closely linked to fossil fuels, as most conventional plastics are made from petrochemicals derived from oil and natural gas. The recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz and related geopolitical events have increased oil prices, thereby raising the costs of plastic production, according to Daniel Dickinson in a UN report.
This rise in raw material costs creates economic incentives to reduce plastic use, expand plastic reuse systems, and invest in alternative materials with lower carbon footprints and less environmental impact. The plastic economy presents challenges for waste management and contributes to climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions across extraction, refining, production, transport, and disposal, as noted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Plastics are used worldwide because they are affordable, durable, lightweight, and versatile. Packaging materials—including food wrappers, bottles, bags, and single-use containers—make up the largest share of plastic use and are the most replaceable. Other sectors such as construction, consumer goods, textiles, transport, electronics, and medical supplies use plastics with varying degrees of replaceability. Medical plastics, such as syringes, sterile packaging, and PPE, have low replaceability with non-plastic alternatives.
UNEP stresses the need to rethink how plastics are produced, used, and disposed of to reduce their climate and environmental impacts. The key consideration for replacement remains assessing necessity versus convenience, with about one-third of global plastics considered more easily replaceable.
Overall, rising oil prices due to geopolitical factors may accelerate efforts to transition toward lower-carbon plastic alternatives and more sustainable materials.