Is 2026 the year we finally get serious about plastic?
- 29 January 2026
- Posted by: Mikki Hall
- Category: ESG
Today is bin day in our house. We have four bins, mixed rubbish, green waste, paper, and plastics.
The mixed rubbish bin is the one we pay for, which means our council actively encourages recycling. The other bins are collected free of charge, which is exactly the kind of incentive that makes behaviour change easier.
In Norway, at most grocery stores there is a machine that you put your empty plastic and glass bottles in and you get a credit on your card. In London there is only mixed recycling. I suspect a lot of what goes in recycling is not recyclable. Are clothes recycled or dumped on the beach in Bangledesh? Same with plastic? Burning plastic is quite common? That is not recycling.
Here’s what struck me again today: our plastics bin is by far the biggest, and it’s always full.
I’m fairly conscious about plastic. I buy fruit and vegetable loose. I don’t use the plastic produce bags; they cost 1 cent each as part of the government drive to reduce usage. I reuse paper bags from the bakery. I try to avoid packaging where I can.
And still, every single time, the plastics bin is packed.
Plastic is largely made from fossil fuels, yet we’ve treated it as the default for decades. Not because it is always needed, but because it is convenient, cheap and everywhere. We wrap one item inside another wrapper inside a bigger wrapper and barely notice anymore. Remember my blog about teabags. Once something becomes “normal,” we stop seeing it until bin day that reminds us what our consumption really looks like.
Plastic is no longer just an environmental issue; it’s a business issue
For a long time, plastic pollution has been framed as a personal responsibility story. Bring your own bag. Use a reusable bottle. Recycle properly. These things matter, but they only take us so far.
The bigger truth is that plastic is now an Environmental, Social and Governance issue that businesses cannot ignore.
Packaging choices affect cost, supply chain resilience, waste fees, brand trust and compliance. As reporting expectations rise, organisations will increasingly need to show not only what they believe but also what they are doing, backed by data.
Businesses and plastic industrialists are caught between profit and the environmental damage caused by plastics, prompting doubts about how seriously they take environmental and social responsibility. In 2026 business, the organisations that will stand out are those reducing unnecessary packaging, redesigning materials and taking credible steps to cut waste, not just setting targets.
The question for 2026 is simple: what do we change first?
This year, plastic needs to shift from being something we feel guilty about to something we measure, redesign and reduce. This paradigm shift must be deliberate across the ecosystem.
Not everything plastic is bad. It can be helpful, hygienic and practical. But its use should be moderated, and in many cases, redesigned. The real opportunity is not perfection, it’s focus.
Remove what is unnecessary. Reduce what is excessive. Replace what is easy to swap. Improve what must remain.
What you can do next?
At Future Energy Partners, we help businesses move from awareness to action.
If plastic, waste and packaging are part of your footprint, you need a plan that is practical, measurable, and aligned to regulation and customer expectations.
Join our ESG course to understand what is changing, what good looks like and how to respond confidently.
Book an ESG audit with us and we will identify your priority improvements across operations, supply chain, and reporting, so you can reduce waste, cut risk, and build credibility with customers, investors, and partners.
If 2026 is the year plastic stops being invisible, now is the time to act.