DuPont letter shows plastics industry dismissed recycling as viable solution in 1974
A newly unearthed 1974 letter from DuPont’s then-chairman reveals the company knew its plastic products could not be recycled, even as the industry later promoted recycling to fend off regulation.
Rebecca John reports for DeSmog.
In short:
- The 1974 correspondence shows top DuPont executive Charles Brelsford McCoy rejecting a bicentennial recycling pilot, saying the firm’s plastics were unrecoverable once mixed with additives.
- The document lands as nations reopen stalled treaty talks in Geneva, where fossil-fuel producers are again touting recycling and resisting caps on new plastic production.
- California and Missouri lawsuits accuse DuPont, ExxonMobil, and others of misleading the public about recyclability; less than 10% of all plastic ever made has been recycled even once.
Key quote:
“By the time a container reaches the market, the components which we supply have been blended with others so as to preclude the possibility of our recycling them. Thus we feel that Du Pont participation in your program is not feasible.”
— Charles Brelsford McCoy, former DuPont finance committee chairman, in a 1974 letter
Why this matters:
Plastic is made almost entirely from oil and gas, so every new bottle tethers daily life to fossil-fuel extraction and the heat-trapping gases it releases. Because mixed polymers and chemical additives render most packaging unrecyclable, the material’s vaunted “circularity” collapses after a single use, pushing mountains of waste into landfills, incinerators, and oceans. Micro- and nanoplastics now ride wind currents, enter human blood and lodge in lung tissue; additives such as phthalates and bisphenols can disrupt hormones, while production emits the same pollutants linked to cancer in fenceline communities. Knowing the limits of recycling yet marketing it anyway has delayed stronger controls, allowing plastic output to soar and compounding climate, toxic exposure, and wildlife threats that will linger for generations.
Related: Opinion: The myth of plastic recycling needs reevaluation
