Plastics Companies Distribute Free Lesson Plans to U.S. Schools

According to a report by the Plastic Pollution Coalition, plastics industry groups have been inserting their messaging into K-12 curricula across the United States through free lesson plans, hands-on experiments and the mobile "PlastiVan" outreach program. Organizations such as the Society of Plastics Engineers and the American Association of Chemistry Teachers, linked to the Plastics Industry Association and Dow Chemical respectively, produce activities that highlight the ubiquity and economic importance of plastics while minimizing discussion of pollution, chemical hazards and the fact that only a small fraction of plastics are recycled.

Education experts argue the content lacks alignment with state STEM standards and serves more to promote industry narratives than to teach scientific principles. The report cites historic lobbying efforts, including a push to add pro-plastic sections to California textbooks, and notes that schools near petrochemical plants, like those in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, receive additional support from companies such as Shell. Advocates recommend school boards adopt bans on materials funded by the chemical, fossil-fuel and plastics sectors and improve overall education funding to reduce reliance on industry-provided resources.