Business
Reducing plastic is now the cheaper option for many products
Plastic taxes, producer-responsibility fees, customer expectations and litigation risk are moving the numbers. Here is the evidence, the swaps that scale, and companies that have already done it.
US$10bn
business opportunity from moving 20% of plastic packaging to reuse
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's estimate of the market for refill, return and reuse models.
Evidence: MediumEllen MacArthur Foundation, Reuse – Rethinking Packaging, 2019, 2019 Verified 23 Sep 2026
28%
cheaper per use for returnable drink bottles once plastic and carbon taxes are counted
When a plastic tax and a higher carbon price are included, returnable drink bottles cost 28% less per use than single-use (modelled; packaging fees for drink bottles assumed unchanged).
Evidence: MediumEllen MacArthur Foundation (a charity; this study was advised by an industry group including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever), Unlocking a reuse revolution, 2023, 2023 Verified 23 Sep 2026
US$436bn–1.1tn
estimated yearly social cost of plastic to the United States
The most complete tally so far of the documented costs of plastic to US society, across its whole life cycle from fossil fuel extraction and production to use, disposal and mismanagement. The authors call it a conservative estimate.
Evidence: MediumLauer et al., Duke University Nicholas Institute, 2025, 2025 Verified 23 Sep 2026
>US$20bn
likely cost to companies of US lawsuits over plastic pollution, 2022–2030
Minderoo Foundation's preliminary estimate of what companies could have to pay from lawsuits started in 2022 to 2030. There is a 1-in-100 chance it exceeds US$100 billion.
Evidence: MediumMinderoo Foundation, The Price of Plastic Pollution, 2022, 2022 Verified 23 Sep 2026
6–10%
lower cost per use for returnable drink and personal-care bottles than single-use, in a large shared system
Ellen MacArthur Foundation modelling (2023) of returnable packaging at national scale: drink bottles 6% cheaper per use, personal-care bottles 10% cheaper.
Evidence: MediumEllen MacArthur Foundation (a charity; this study was advised by an industry group including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever), Unlocking a reuse revolution, 2023, 2023 Verified 23 Sep 2026
17×
more per pound for foam polystyrene than cardboard under Oregon’s 2026 packaging fees
Under Oregon's law, companies that sell packaging pay fees to fund its recycling. Foam polystyrene containers cost 138 cents a pound, against 8 cents for corrugated cardboard. Flexible plastic laminates cost 102 cents.
Evidence: HighCircular Action Alliance (the producer-led body that collects the fees), 2026 Oregon Producer Fee Schedule, 2026 Verified 23 Sep 2026
What it costs to keep using plastic
| Instrument | Rate | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| UK Plastic Packaging Tax | £228.82 per tonne (from April 2026) | Packaging with under 30% recycled content |
| UK packaging extended producer responsibility (pEPR) | £423 per tonne base fee for plastic (2025/26); from 2026/27 fees rise or fall with how recyclable the packaging is | Household packaging placed on the UK market |
| Spain plastic packaging tax | €0.45 per kg of non-recycled plastic | Non-reusable plastic packaging |
| Italy plastic tax on single-use manufactured plastics (MACSI) | €450 per tonne, start delayed to 1 January 2027 | Single-use manufactured plastics |
| EU plastics own-resource levy | €0.80 per kg of non-recycled plastic packaging waste | Paid by member states, not directly by businesses |
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC); Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 2025 base fees; Spanish Tax Agency; Italian Customs and Excise Agency: Italy’s plastic tax law and delay to 2027; European Commission
Worked example: a drinks maker that removes 10,000 tonnes of new (not recycled) PET a year avoids about £2.3 million in UK Plastic Packaging Tax exposure alone, before extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees and material costs.
Work out your own exposure with the cost of staying with plastic calculator →
Companies that switched, with numbers
| Company | Change | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| IKEA | Polystyrene foam → moulded fibre and corrugated cardboard | 8,000 tonnes of polystyrene foam a year removed from flat packs (source) |
| Carlsberg | Shrink-wrap multipacks → glue-dot Snap Pack | Over 1,200 tonnes of plastic a year avoided, about 76% less per pack (source) |
| Lush | Bottles → solid “naked” shampoo, soap and shower products | Over 15,000 tonnes of plastic avoided since 2005; 58% of units now unpackaged (source) |
| Algramo (Chile) | Single-use → smart refill containers in 2,000 corner stores | 325,000 customers, households save about 30% on essentials (source) |
| Dell | Foam → mycelium cushioning for servers | Compostable protective packaging in production (source) |
Find a swap for your product
A practical order of work
- Eliminate firstRemove packaging that does nothing: secondary film, oversized boxes, plastic windows. Zero cost, immediate saving. (Ellen MacArthur Foundation Upstream Innovation guide.)
- Reuse secondRefill and return systems can cost less than single-use once they reach scale, and they cut packaging fees. See the business case for the figures.
- Substitute thirdOnly then swap materials, and check end of life in the real system your customers have, not the ideal one. Ask for compostability certificates (EN 13432 or ASTM D6400 for industrial composting, TÜV HOME for home composting) and an independent life-cycle assessment (LCA).
- Say only what you can proveRegulators in the EU, UK and Australia are acting on vague eco claims. The evidence library gives you citations for every claim you make.
Share it with your team. The business case on one page, and a counter poster for Australian cafés (bring your own cup), free to print. Every figure in them names its source, and the same figures are on this site with links to the original studies. All free printables.