Topic: Plastics Industry

PBS NewsHour launches a series titled "The Plastic Problem," highlighting the accumulation of 9 billion metric tons of plastic since 1950. The hosts criticize the alarmist tone of the reporting, specifically a claim that plastic waste will persist for hundreds of thousands of years. They speculate that the glass industry may be funding anti-plastic sentiment to regain market share.

The Portuguese cork industry is facing a public relations battle against the plastics industry regarding the sustainability of cork stoppers. Cork is harvested from the bark of specific oak trees every seven years, a process that does not harm the tree and is strictly regulated by Portuguese law. Despite propaganda claiming cork forests are shrinking, the plantations are currently growing at a rate of four percent annually.