We have been destroying the environment for generations in order to advance our economic interests. And the amount of destruction has grown over time. The harm has now progressed to the point that it is practically difficult to reverse it. We need to start letting go of our material riches if we want to save life on Earth.

Highlights

 • Single-use plastic product bans may have negative effects on the environment and the socio-economic system.

• When marketing alternatives to single-use plastic products, context is crucial.

By 2022, India will phase out single-use plastic products, albeit state-by-state implementation differs.

• Plastic alternatives might have unanticipated negative effects on the environment.

• Determining the socioeconomic causes of plastic pollution can aid in the advancement of fair and sustainable development.

What impact does plastic have on the environment?

Scientists crunched some numbers in 2017 and discovered that we have 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic to cope with, 6.9 billion tonnes of which have become waste, and 6.3 billion tonnes of which have never been recycled.
Even in climate extremes, plastics remain durable. Simple plastics degrade into their chemical components in about 500 years, but sophisticated plastics, the majority of which are non-biodegradable, take much longer.

Instead of breaking down into their component parts, the plastics disintegrate into tiny fragments called microplastics.

Plastics end up in water bodies where they negatively impact aquatic life's eating patterns. Aquatic animals experience various issues once these plastics enter their digestive systems, including lack of appetite (since the plastics remain in their alimentary canal, they don't feel the need to eat and eventually perish from starvation or malnutrition), shift in feeding cycle, and poor reproductive rate.

The enormous amount of plastic and microplastic in the oceans reduces their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, which causes CO2 levels in the atmosphere to rise and causes global warming.

The Paradox:

The paradox of the plastic bag is that, compared to alternatives, it really has a considerably smaller overall environmental impact.
A 2018 research by the Danish government found that using a paper bag 43 times would have the same overall environmental impact as using a plastic bag.
Cotton bags would need to be used 7,100 times in order to have the same environmental impact as a plastic bag.

Conclusion:

It's time to switch to alternatives to plastics and recycle the majority of plastic. India has committed to outlawing single-use plastic by 2022, but other nations and businesses are also adopting aggressive measures to reduce plastic pollution and its effects. We cannot afford any economic benefit that is not environmentally sustainable in the twenty-first century.