Formosa Plastics Group’s $10 Billion Bet on a Single-Use Future

By the time the ribbon is cut in 2029 on the Sunshine Project, a $9.4 billion petrochemical plant under construction in rural Louisiana, single-use plastic bags will likely be restricted for most shoppers in the U.S. Right now there are bans, fees, and other rules on plastic for more than 1 in 5 Americans. Push that trend into the next decade, and you can imagine metal straws becoming commonplace, chicken breasts purchased without the tug of shrink wrap, and a generation unfamiliar with the touch of a Styrofoam cup.

Yet right there on the same timeline sits Sunshine. When ...