Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice

An extraordinary exposé of the industry flooding our world with plastic—and now ramping up to make more than ever

“A compelling true-crime story.” —Zoë Schlanger, The New York Times Book Review

“Deeply researched, sharply written, and totally compelling.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, author of the The Sixth Extinction

“It is impossible not to compare Beth Gardiner’s Plastic Inc. to Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.” —John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather

Plastic, the foundational material of modern consumerism, is everywhere in our daily lives. But the oil and petrochemical companies making it are hiding in plain sight. Because for all the vivid coverage of where plastic ends up, there is remarkably little discussion of where it comes from. Today, industry is pouring billions of dollars into plans to double, or even triple, the amount it churns out, even as individuals concerned about plastic’s out-of-control proliferation try to use less. As Big Oil stares down a future of diminishing demand for fossil fuels, plastic has become its financial lifeline.

Award-winning journalist Beth Gardiner gives readers an up-close look at the plastic industry’s relentless growth, its extraordinary profits, its toxic pollution and its hidden role in exacerbating climate change. Every chapter in Plastic Inc. brings new revelations, including how Big Oil pushed the lie that recycling was the answer to our plastic mess, even though companies always knew it couldn't work at scale; the hidden health crisis caused by chemicals and microplastics in the items we use every day; and the alarming parallels between the marketing strategies used by plastic producers and those of tobacco companies and Big Pharma. 

Plastic Inc.’s gripping stories will reframe for readers a problem many of us think we understand, but which has deeper roots, and greater dangers, than we know.

About the Author :
Beth Gardiner is an American journalist based in London. Her work has been published in outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, National Geographic, The Washington Post, Scientific American and HuffPost, and she’s a former longtime Associated Press reporter. Her first book, Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution, was named one of 2019’s best by The Guardian, and was a finalist for the National Association of Science Writers’ Science in Society book award.

Review :
“Rigorous. A compelling true-crime story.”
—Zoë Schlanger, The New York Times Book Review

“Deeply researched, sharply written, and totally compelling.”
—Elizabeth Kolbert, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winner The Sixth Extinction

“It is impossible not to compare Beth Gardiner’s Plastic Inc. to Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. This is a shocking and necessary book that unpacks the history, the science, the hazards, and the relentless marketing of the most pernicious and ubiquitous substance ever conceived—and sold—by modern industry.”
—John Vaillant, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist Fire Weather

“This is journalism at its finest. Plastic Inc. is a breathtaking and revelatory exposé about one of the world’s most reckless industries—and also a fascinating secret history of the modern world. After reading this urgent book, you’ll never see things the same way again.”
—Christopher Leonard, New York Times bestselling author of Kochland

“Plastic Inc. uncovers how one of the most celebrated inventions of the twentieth century became one of the gravest threats of the twenty-first. From the petrochemical boardrooms that sold us convenience at any cost to the scientists exposing the hidden dangers of microplastics in our bodies, this gripping narrative connects the shocking dots about the huge corporations that have pushed ever more plastic into our lives.”
—Gardiner Harris, New York Times bestselling author of No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson

“My favorite kind of non-fiction: a readable, scrupulous, and fascinating book that strips away lies and obfuscation to show what's really happening in the world.”
—Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland