Years ago, I would have said the idea that big oil stifling re-use of plastics was in the tinfoil hat camp. Today, that idea is extremely plausible.
Oh corporations hire endless financial experts to maximize profit in any way possible. I am sure there are plenty of books out there describing the process.
I know, for example, in the realm of what they call "corporate security" --- they will literally hire people to join the camp of a rival, to undermine them from within. Literally like what intelligence agencies do.
And what I am talking about, is literally something like Coca-Cola, hiring people to get hired by Pepsi, just so that they can get in their and undermine their ad campaigns!!!
I mean...for soda? Yes, for soda, for cookies. That is how nutso they have taken business competition...using systems designed for intelligence operations in warfare...just so they can corner a great market share...of the friggin' cookie market!!!
That is how nutso our society has become. Meanwhile, actually fix and maintain the roads and bridges? Of course not...why devote resources to that??? That would divert funds from the cookie war...
(the Coca-Cola - Pepsi thing was just an analogy. I have no specific knowledge that those specific companies engage in those policies. I do know however, that Coke wanted to put a plant in South America. The land they wanted was populated by Native peoples. Those Native peoples did not want to let their land go. The government down there wound up hiring some goons to chase the Native peoples off...and at least one of them was murdered in the process. That one, I do know. Just for soda! Yes, our society has gone plenty nuts).