New York Times analysis shows war-driven gasoline and diesel costs are raising the price of everyday life - strengthening the case for certified recycled plastic as an economic solution

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / May 22, 2026 / The war is no longer just raising the price of gas. It is raising the price of modern life. And that is why recycled plastic is moving from an environmental option to an economic necessity.

According to The New York Times' May 21, 2026 article, "What the War Is Costing You," by Emmett Lindner and Rebecca Lieberman, the average American household has spent an extra $187.41 on gasoline since the war with Iran began - "the equivalent of a month's electricity bill" for many households, or "a week's worth of groceries for a couple."

But the larger warning is what energy volatility does beyond the pump. As The New York Times reported: "Nearly three out of four goods move across the country by truck. Many of those trucks are powered by diesel, making them much costlier to drive, and what's inside them costlier for consumers."

That is the affordability crisis in one sentence.

Oil volatility raises the cost of gasoline. Diesel volatility raises the cost of moving goods. And because virgin plastic is tied to fossil-based feedstocks, the same pressure moves through packaging, manufacturing, shipping, food protection, household goods, consumer products, medical supplies, and nearly everything Americans buy.

That is the new economic case for certified recycled plastic.

SMX (Security Matters) PLC (NASDAQ: SMX)(NASDAQ: SMXWW) has the technology to help turn certified recycled plastic into a practical cost-control tool. If virgin plastic is vulnerable to war, oil shocks, diesel inflation, tariffs, and supply disruption, then recycled plastic - properly certified, authenticated, and traceable - becomes more than a sustainability solution. It becomes an economic strategy.

Recent coverage has reinforced SMX's role in this shift from sustainability claims to certified proof. In its February 2, 2026 article, "SMX: How proof is replacing promises in sustainability," Forbes reported that SMX has developed a platform that embeds molecular-level markers directly into materials such as plastics, metals, and textiles, allowing them to be identified and verified throughout their lifecycle, from production to recycling. The article also noted that each marked batch can be linked to a digital record, creating a persistent material passport that can be audited by manufacturers, regulators, and third parties.

TIME also examined the broader market transition in its April 2026 article, "Rethinking Plastic: How Risk and Verification Are Reshaping Markets," by Matthew Kayser. TIME reported that plastic pricing is no longer defined only by material costs, but by energy volatility, regulation, traceability, and the ability to verify what is being used. The article cited Security Matters as an example of systems that place a molecular marker in plastic and link it to a digital record, creating a material identity that can be checked without damaging the product. The article can be found at:

The issue has never been whether recycled plastic has value. The issue has been whether manufacturers can trust it at scale.

SMX solves that problem by giving recycled plastic a certified identity. Through its molecular marking technology, SMX can embed an invisible, durable marker directly into materials, then connect that physical material to a secure digital record. That means recycled plastic can carry proof of origin, composition, recycled content, chain of custody, lifecycle history, and compliance status.

That proof matters because manufacturers cannot confidently replace virgin plastic unless they know exactly what they are buying. They need data that can satisfy regulators, auditors, suppliers, procurement teams, customers, and brands.

SMX's core capabilities include molecular marking, instant authentication, blockchain-backed digital records, digital material passports, provenance tracking, chain-of-custody verification, recycled-content certification, lifecycle monitoring, audit-ready compliance, and data-backed recycling validation. Together, these tools help turn recycled plastic from an uncertain input into a trusted industrial material.

Without certification, recycled plastic remains vulnerable to mistrust, inconsistent pricing, weak documentation, and limited adoption. With certification, it becomes a scalable industrial input that can help manufacturers reduce exposure to oil-linked input costs.

That is the shift now underway. Recycled plastic is no longer just the environmentally preferable choice. In many use cases, it is becoming the economically rational one.

The affordability story is no longer separate from the recycling story. They are becoming the same story.

As the cost of oil-linked production rises, the value of certified recycled materials rises with it. Certified recycling is becoming part of the new cost-control infrastructure for modern manufacturing.

In the old economy, recycling was a promise.

In the Age of Parity economy, it has to become proof.

About SMX

SMX (Security Matters) PLC (NASDAQ: SMX; SMXWW) provides technology for molecular marking, authentication, traceability, and digital material identity. The company's platform connects physical materials to secure digital records, enabling certification of origin, composition, chain of custody, lifecycle history, recycled content, and compliance across global supply chains.

Contact:

Billy White
billywhitepr@gmail.com

SOURCE: SMX (Security Matters) Public Limited