Yet another consequence of the war in Iran is a looming supply shock in plastics. Plastics, derived from oil by-products, are everywhere, but their origins remain somewhat mysterious to the average consumer.
Today on the show, we demystify the plastics industry with Beth Gardiner, author of the new book Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil’s Biggest Bet, an exposé of the industry that underlies modern consumer culture. Along with Matt and David, they discuss where plastics come from, how they are made, and how the situation in Iran will affect the supply chain. They also get into the major players, the semi-scam that is recycling, and whether non-fossil fuel alternatives are a viable solution in a world that is already up to its knees in plastic.
Listen via Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
David Dayen is the executive editor of The American Prospect. He is the author of Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power and Chain of Title: How Three Ordinary Americans Uncovered Wall Street’s Great Foreclosure Fraud. He co-hosts the podcast Organized Money with Matt Stoller.
He can be reached on Signal at ddayen.90.
Matt Stoller is research director at the American Economic Liberties Project and the author of Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy.
Beth Gardiner is an American journalist based in London. Her first book, Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution, was named one of 2019’s best by The Guardian. It was a finalist for the National Association of Science Writers’ Science in Society book award, and a winner of the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature. Her work has been published in outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, National Geographic, The Washington Post, Scientific American, Smithsonian and Yale Environment 360.
Beth spent 10 years as a reporter for the Associated Press, based first in New York and then in London. She’s discussed her work on NPR's All Things Considered and Here & Now, WNYC's Brian Lehrer show, and the BBC's World at One, as well as on MSNBC, CBC in Canada, Sky News, ITN and LBC radio. She was a speaker at TEDx London at the Royal Festival Hall. Beth is a three-time grantee of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, and a recipient of the City University of New York journalism school's McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism.
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