NPR and PBS Frontline investigations revealed that the plastics industry promoted recycling starting in the 1980s as a deliberate strategy to counter plastic bans — while knowing recycling was technically and economically unviable for most plastics. Internal industry documents showed executives acknowledged 'recycling cannot be made viable on an economic basis.' Less than 10% of plastic has ever been recycled. The recycling symbol on plastics was a marketing tool, not a guarantee of recyclability.