Recycling the Problem
As the planet comes under growing pressure from relentless resource extraction, post-consumer plastic pollution is seeping into every corner of our ecosystems. In response, global negotiations are underway to establish the Global Plastics Treaty—a legally binding agreement aimed at ending plastic pollution. Among the many proposed solutions, recycling remains one of the most widely supported, promoted by both public institutions and private industry. Yet before we ask how to recycle the plastic bag that holds our groceries, we must first take a step back and understand the full picture.
At Mover Plastic Free Sportswear, we reject plastic recycling for a simple reason: it creates the illusion of a solution. Recycling masks the reality of a booming production. It not only worsens pollution but delays the emergence of safer, large-scale alternatives.
Plastic Recycling Is a Lie
Despite public belief, recycling plastic is neither financially sustainable nor technically effective. PET is a rare exception, but even then, each recycling cycle downgrades the material’s quality until it can no longer be reused. It then ends up incinerated or discarded in nature.
Less than 10% of global plastic is efficiently recycled[1], despite huge marketing efforts to convince us otherwise. Plastic is simply not circular.
The Fig Leaf of Overproduction
The petrochemical industry uses recycling as a PR tool, a smokescreen to justify continued mass production of virgin plastic. As long as recycling is framed as a solution, production will keep rising.
Global plastic production is projected to more than double by 2060, from 460 million tonnes in 2019 to 1.2 billion tonnes[2]. Recycling doesn't slow the disaster, it speeds it up.
Forever Chemicals Lurking in Microplastics
Plastic doesn’t decompose. It accumulates in soil, in oceans, and inside our bodies. And every time it's handled, it releases micro- and nano-plastics, which pose an even greater threat:
- These particles penetrate human cells, reach the brain and vital organs, and disrupt hormonal balance.
- They threaten all forms of life, damaging bodily systems and triggering long-term illness.
- They release "forever chemicals" like PFAS, phthalates, and bisphenols—substances that are indestructible and bioaccumulative, with unpredictable combined effects.
- Because of their microscopic size, they can't be recovered. Once in the air, water, or soil, they’re there for centuries.
Recycled Plastic Is Toxic
To make recycled plastic usable, chemical additives are required; colorants, stabilizers, flame retardants, and more. This means recycled plastic is just as toxic—if not more—than virgin plastic.
Rather than reducing harm, recycling spreads it further, amplifying the presence of hazardous substances that inevitably end up in our environment and our bodies. Instead of solving the problem, it disperses the poison more widely.
A Criminal Practice
The plastic industry has done more than sell an illusion. It has deliberately misled the public. By concealing the consequences of plastic production, it has contributed to mass pollution and global health crises.
Take ExxonMobil, recently sued by the State of California for knowingly hiding the health risks of plastic and related chemicals. Or W.L. Gore & Associates, facing a U.S. class action for continuing to use PFAS in its Gore-Tex® gear despite well-documented toxicity.
This industry has lied, covered up, and exposed generations to gradual poisoning, all in the name of growth.
Bio-Plastics Don’t Fix the Problem
In response to the crisis, some promote “bio-plastics” or “bio-PLA” as miracle solutions. But they miss the point: a bio-plastic is still a plastic.
- It still requires chemical additives to function
- It releases microplastics and toxins
- It is just as unrecyclable as conventional plastic
- It doesn’t compost naturally but requires highly specific industrial conditions, not achievable in your backyard or the ocean
Your Recycled Sportswear Works Against You
For concerned consumers, navigating the maze of green marketing is no easy task. Buzzwords like “ocean plastic,” “eco-friendly synthetics,” or “recycled performance wear” promise sustainability, but the chemical makeup tells another story.
The same chemicals that give plastic sportswear its performance also make it toxic. Every recycling cycle adds more unregulated substances.
In fact, the more you sweat in it, the more you absorb. Sweat binds with the microplastics constantly shed by your clothes, helping them to release their chemical components onto your skin and enter your body[5].
That’s the contradiction of recycled synthetic sportswear: it promotes health while undermining it, poisoning your body through direct skin contact, and the environment through constant chemical release.
Every Plastic Kills: The Real Solution Lies Beyond Recycling
Recycling plastic does not neutralize it. It simply reintroduces plastic in another, often more harmful, form. Rather than solving the problem, it extends the life of a toxic material.
The only real alternative is to rethink materials from the ground up, making them inherently biodegradable, regenerative, and non-toxic. That starts with using natural materials with minimal chemical alteration.
The real challenge—and the true solution—is to reduce production and collectively move away from plastic.
As individuals, we can choose differently but only if we’re given real alternatives and empowered to act. While plastic may not yet be replaceable in every context, we already have the tools to rethink our essentials starting with how we move.
